


Makeshift Home (Elijah Mikaelson x Reader)

by Mrs__Marvel



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:48:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29054667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs__Marvel/pseuds/Mrs__Marvel
Summary: Life had been difficult for you. Your situation was not an easy one and it seemed to only grow worse with each passing minute. You needed someone to help you carry it all. When that certain someone arrived, things took quite a turn...Whether it was for better or for worse? That was your call.
Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson & You, Elijah Mikaelson/You
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue

You nervously fiddled with your fingers, shuffling into the living room where your parents were sitting. You gulped and took in a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad..." you started.

They looked up at you, sensing your tone. "What is it, honey?" Your mother bid you softly.

You tried to get the words out, but they were so hard to say. If you were any older, this would be easy. But you weren't.

You were only seventeen.

You hoped they understood.

You had hoped they would understand.

"I... I'm pregnant."


	2. 1

"Maya, are you ready? We gotta get you to school!" You called, running a hand through your hair as you scribbled in your soulmate journal.

_I have to go. I'm going to be late._

You looked at your watch. At this rate, you would be late for work. Again.

"Coming, Mama!"

_Have a good day._

You smiled at the words that appeared in the journal as he wrote in it.

_You, too._

"Have you eaten?" You asked as she came bounding down the stairs with her bag flying behind her.

She nodded, "Mhm."

"Okay, let's get you to school," you told her, putting your hand on her back as you guided her to the door.

You finally got her in the car and ready to get to school. You got there as quick as you could without getting pulled over.

As you pulled into the front of the school, you ran a hand through your hair. She got out of the car and you grabbed her bag for her before she forgot it.

"Bye, honey! Have a good day! Behave!" You called after her.

She smiled back at you and waved, "Bye, Mama!" She headed over and smiled at one of the students.

"Hi, Hope!" She exclaimed. The little girl smiled at her friend and they walked into the school together.

You were already out of the parking lot, however. You had to get to work quickly. You didn't need to be fired and you knew you were on the list.

You just needed to not be late and you would be fine.

But then a red light wouldn't turn green. Fuck.

When you eventually got to work, you were ten minutes late. You quickly threw on your apron and clocked in, hoping you wouldn't be noticed by your boss.

But then you were.

"Look who finally showed up," he grumbled, "You're late. Again."

You turned around and bowed your head, "Sorry, sir."

"You better have a good excuse this time, Y/L/N," he warned.

"I'm sorry, my babysitter has been sick with the flu and I don't have a replacement. When the bus comes, I would have already had to go and I can't leave my daughter alone, so I have to drive her to school myself," you spoke, rubbing your temples to soothe the headache rising.

He grunted, clearly tired of your misfortune. You'd been late all week and he wasn't having it. He wouldn't have much of a problem with it if you were a better employee, but you were always so tired because you went to bed late and got up too early.

You always tried and tried to be better, but it's like your life wouldn't allow it. You had Maya when you were 17 and, with everything that happened in the span of her eight years, you were so tired.

But you wouldn't trade her for anything. She was your daughter and you would always protect her.

"Very well. But you better figure something out soon. This is your only warning. If you're late again, you're fired. Understand?" He grunted, turning to leave.

You spoke in a weak voice after him, letting out a sighed, "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

You turned around and got to work. This was going to be a long day.

____

"Y/L/N, you got a call!" You turned around, excusing yourself to answer the phone call.

"Hello?" You asked, dusting your hands off on your apron and setting your hand on your hips.

"Hello, Ms. Y/L/N. This is Maya's school. Are you free to come in?" The woman on the other side asked.

You blinked, "Why? What happened?"

"Your daughter and another student got in a fight with one of the students at the school," she informed you.

You let out an exhausted sigh, one of your hands coming to cover your face, "When do you need me?"

"Is now alright with you?" She asked, seemingly annoyed with making the call at all.

You nodded, "Uh, yeah. I'll be there soon."

You hung up the phone and sighed before going to your boss. "Excuse me, sir?"

"What is it, Y/L/N?" He asked, prickly and annoyed.

"I need to go to my kid's school. She got in trouble," you asked, making sure to add another layer of sweetness to your tone so you didn't get yelled at.

He looked up at you, "Seriously?"

You nodded, avoiding eye contact, "Yes, sir."

He huffed, "Be back right after. This is coming out of your pay check."

You nodded and retreated from the office. You hovered outside of the door, shaking your head to hold back any tears that threatened to prick at the back of your eyes.

You got your bag and into your car, heading toward the school quickly.

You arrived, hoping you weren't late for this, too. You opened the door to the front office, "Hello. I'm Maya Y/L/N's mother, she was called to the office?"

The woman at the front desk pointed her pen to the principal's office door, not bothering to look up at you. You nodded and sighed, heading to the office.

Why did you feel like you were the one in trouble? You were a grown ass woman.

You opened the door and stepped inside. "Ah, Ms. Y/L/N, please have a seat." In the room, there were two other parents and three kids, one of them your own.

You sat down next to Maya, giving her a disappointed look. The principal spoke, "Thank you all for coming. As you know, your children got into a fight during recess. Miss Maya said that she Miss Cassandra was, quote 'talking shit about my mom' end quote."

You looked at Maya, your eyes wide. She shrugged, giving you that look that pleaded innocence. You heard a strange muffled noise coming from one of the parents.

You glanced up, not daring to look at his face. All you noticed was the suit and tie he wore to perfection. You looked back at the principal as he continued.

"Miss Cassandra pleaded that she was just playing with her friends when she was attacked by your daughter. Miss Hope saw what was happening and jumped in," he finished.

Maya seemed a little proud of herself. Even if it was just a little bit, it was still too proud. You glanced over to Hope, who looked just as proud.

Cassandra, however, had tears in her eyes and a red mark on her face.

Maya turned to face you, giving you a smile. You knew the stunt, she was trying to flash a smile to show she was right.

Hope seemed to have a small smirk on her face that tried to support that. She turned to the man next to her, nudging him slightly. He shook his head subtly at her and she turned back to the principal.

You sighed heavily, rubbing your face. You turned to the angry parent and apologized, "I am so sorry for my daughter. I did not teach her any of this, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

The mother snapped back at you, "You better. I brought my daughter to this school because I believed it was a good one. Don't prove me wrong because of your delinquent child."

Her tone almost made you snap back, activating that motherly protection in you that almost had you out of your seat with her heart in your hand. You took a deep breath, "Let me rephrase. I will make sure it doesn't happen again as long as you are respectful toward my daughter. Fight or not, she does not deserve that kind of tone from you or anyone else."

The woman turned her nose up to you, sneering at Maya. She began to smile at the angry mother and you turned to her, "And you will do well to remember that you cannot fight others because of a few mean words. Alright? That's not the way to stand up to others."

Maya bowed her head, her pride faltering. But you could tell, she was still impressed with herself and regretted nothing.

Hope whispered to Maya, "We'll get her next time."

Her guardian told her carefully, a slight warn in his tone, "That will be all, Hope."

She took the warning graciously and didn't push on. Maya smiled a little at her friend, who only smiled back.

Cassandra looked threatened. You should say something.

Thankfully, the principal got to it first, "I trust that the conflict will be resolved. In the meantime, I must say that I will be suspended your children for three days."

You sighed, bowing your head. Great. Maybe it wasn't so great that he spoke first.

You nodded, "Of course. Sorry about this." You gave a nod to the angry parent of Cassandra, who shot you a glare.

You turned to Hope's parent and he nodded to you kindly. That was a relief. You didn't need two parents angry with you and your child. There was no way your motherly instinct could handle that without snapping.

"Come on, Maya," you sighed.

Cassandra and her mother left the office angrily. Hope's parent spoke to the girl gently, "Let's go, Hope. We've got to tell your father about this."

Hope was torn between being nervous of that talk and being excited for it. What kind of talks did she get?

You grabbed Maya's hand and walked out of the office with her. You spoke to her, "Maya, what happened?"

"Cassandra was talking shit about you," She told you, offended.

You sighed, "Maya, you can't say that word."

"Cassandra said it. She said her mom let's her say that," she defended herself.

"I am not Cassandra's mother, nor are you Cassandra," you told her. You tried to be firm with your words, but you were too tired.

You got to the front of the school, standing outside. Cassandra's mother turned her nose up at you, her daughter pouting next to her, her cheeks now red from the threat of tears. "I hope you're happy. My daughter shouldn't have to go to a school with kids of your type."

"Excuse me?" You questioned, raising a brow.

"I could tell when I first saw you dropping off your kid. She's just the result of you being a sl-"

You slapped her then and there. You'd had enough of her speaking about Maya like that. You could care less about her calling you a slut, it would definitely not be the first time and it wouldn't be the last. You'd grown used to the word being referred to you. But the moment someone talks shit about your child, you were going to let it slide and she should have known that the first time when you were being civilized.

You threated her through your teeth, "Never talk about my daughter like that again." Cassandra's mother held her cheek and scurried off with her kid to leave.

You watched them go before slowly turning back to your little audience. Maya and Hope were smiling, Hope's parent was highly impressed. "I keep trying to jump in, but it seems you've got it handled," he said.

You blushed, "Sorry, I just don't like that."

"No need to apologize, it was quite amusing." You laughed a little at that and then glanced at Maya, "That was a very bad example of not picking fights from a few mean words."

Maya clapped a little before shrugging, "Bitch had it coming."

You sighed and covered your face with a hand, "Maya, you can't say that either."

She gave you an annoyed look, "Seriously? What else can't I say, orange juice?"

You shook your head, "You're so dramatic."

"Someone has to be," she shrugged and smiled at Hope, who was also smiling herself. Her parent seemed to be fending off a laugh of his own. "What am I going to do with you?" You asked.

She said hopefully, "We could get some ice cream?"

You shook your head, "No. I've got to get back to work and I can't take you with me."

Hope and her guardian walked over. Hope walked up to Maya, "She picks on you again, I got you."

Maya smiled and high-fived the girl. You sighed, "Maya." You stopped before you could even start, it was no use.

Hope's parent told her, "As tempting as that sounds, you shouldn't be picking fights at school, Hope."

She sighed, "Cassandra deserved it."

He shook his head and turned to you. "I'm Elijah. It seems Hope and your daughter are good friends." He held out his hand for you to shake.

You shook it and nodded, glancing at Maya, "Yeah, seems that way. I'm Y/N. It's at least good to know my daughter likes yours. She usually ends up fending everyone else away because they seem 'suspicious'."

You laughed at that last part. Elijah spoke, "Actually, Hope is my niece. I was just covering for her father today."

You nodded, "Oh, my apologies."

He shook his head, "No worries."

You checked the time on your watch and jumped, "Oh! I have to get back to work. What can I do with you?"

You bit your lip as you thought over what to do. You couldn't call a babysitter, you didn't have one at the moment. You didn't have anyone to call. What were you going to do?

Elijah spoke up, "I could watch Maya for you. It would be no problem, at all. I'm sure Hope would like the company."

You bit your lip, "Are you sure? I wouldn't push that on you."

He shook his head, "No worries. It would be my pleasure."

You smiled sincerely at the man, "Thank you so much. Really, that would be amazing!"

He smiled at you, "No need to thank me. You can come by to pick her up when you are ready." He scribbled something down on a piece of paper, handing it to you.

"There's my address and my phone number," he said, flashing you a smile. You grabbed it thankfully.

You bent down to Maya, "I've got to go back to work. Behave, I mean it. I don't want to hear that you got in trouble again. Do you hear me?"

She nodded, "Okay, Mama!" She hugged you and went to Hope's side.

You looked at Elijah, "Thanks so much!"

He nodded and you went to your car. You waved to them as you drove away. You had to get back to work before you took more time to return than your boss would have liked.


	3. 2

You'd gotten back to work as soon as you could, but you still received an extra hour of work for being late and then taking off.

Needless to say, you were exhausted by the time you had to pick up Maya. You were ready to just sit down and get to your soulmate journal waiting at home. You pulled up to the large house half asleep. You rested your hand on the door, but your eyes were so heavy.

You would just close them for one moment.

Jut a moment.

Just a...

____

"Y/N?"

You jumped, startled by the voice that had woken you up. Your head shot up, hitting the back of your seat before shooting forward and hitting your forehead on the steering wheel.

"Ow! Shit!" You whisper-shouted. You slowly sat up so you didn't hit anything again. Your hands came up cover the places you hit.

You turned and saw Elijah standing in the car window. Blush came to your cheeks out of sheer embarrassment. "Oh," you looked around, realizing it had gotten darker outside.

How long were you asleep. You checked the time and your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. You had for a solid hour outside of this man's house.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to frighten you," he said, his tone gentle to accommodate your exhaustion and slight injuries.

You shook your head, "No, my bad. I...shouldn't've fallen asleep like that."

His eyes narrowed, it was like he was evaluating you. But the soft smile on his face said otherwise. "Would you like to come inside?"

You laughed weakly, "I would love to, but I really should be going."

He shook his head, "I insist."

You bit your lip and sighed, nodding as you stepped outside of the car. He was by your side, holding his hand out for you and leading you into the house.

"Mama!" Maya exclaimed, heading over quickly to hug you. You smiled and hugged her back, "Hey, honey. Did you behave?"

"She was an angel," Elijah told you.

You smirked a little, fiddling with a loose strand of her hair, "That doesn't sound like you. Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?"

She giggled, "Mama."

"Hi, Y/N," Hope chirped, coming up next to Maya.

"Hey, Hope. How are you?" You asked her kindly.

"I'm good."

"Did you keep Maya company for me?"

"Yeah, we had fun," she said with a smile.

You laughed as well and remembered one of your tasks this evening. "Oh!" You softly exclaimed. You pulled out you wallet, your brows scrunched together as you rummaged through it. You managed to find a ten dollar bill and turned to Elijah, holding it out.

"Here. Thanks so much for watching her," You said.

He shook his head, holding his hand out to push the money back to you, "No, no. No need for that."

"I insist," you tried.

He told you softly, "I insist." You slowly smiled and thanked him, "Well, is there anyway I could repay you?"

He shook his head, "There's no need. If you need anything, I'm more than happy to help you."

You nodded, "Thank you so much." When your phone rang, you saw your babysitter's name on the screen and hoped against hope that she was coming back tomorrow.

"Hello?" You asked quickly.

She replied, "Hello, Ms. Y/L/N. I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to come back to work at all."

Your heart sank and you sighed, "Okay... That's fine. You get better. Um, bye."

Something else to tell your soulmate about...

You hung up the phone, rubbing your temples. Just what you needed.

Elijah asked with concern toward the change in your mood, "Are you alright?"

You nodded, "Uh, yeah. It's just...my babysitter just quit on me and I won't be able to find a replacement anytime soon."

He responded, "I can watch her, if that's fine with you."

You shook your head, "It's okay. You've done so much already. I don't want to force anything on you."

He shook his head this time, insisting, "It's quite alright. I'd be happy to help you. Anything you need, anything at all."

You smiled at him. You were so close to giving him a hug. This man was so amazing. You bit your lip and looked at Maya, "What do you think? You up for it?"

She jumped up, "Yes! Please!"

You smiled, "Okay. Um, I have work early in the morning and I'm really close to being fired. Do you think I could drop by in the mornings and hand over Maya?"

He nodded, "Of course. That's no problem."

You sighed in utter relief, "Thank you. I'll find some way to repay you."

He shook his head, "No need."

You couldn't help yourself this time. You were so overcome with gratefulness. You hugged the man before you, smiling grateful.

"Thank you so much!" You exclaimed.

He hugged you back, only a little surprised by your outward affection. You pulled away quickly and nodded, "Uh, yeah."

You scribbled your number and address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Here's my information. You know the rest."

He nodded, "Of course."

You smiled, "We've got to get going. Um...see you tomorrow?"

Elijah smiled, "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Hope," you said, waving at the little girl.

"Bye! Bye, Maya," she waved.

You and Maya left, getting home after a few more exchanged words and thank yous. You got Maya into the car and got home. She was giddy the whole time, gushing about how much of a good day she had with Elijah and Hope.

When you got her home, you both got showered and ready for bed. She got in the bed and asked you to tuck her in.

You smiled and sat next to the bed, tucking her in tight with a smile on your face. "Can you tell me a story?" She pleaded.

You nodded and sighed, thinking about which one to tell her tonight. When you had it, you looked at her and began speaking.

"Once upon a time, there were three little pigs..."

____

_Hey, sorry it took so long to get back to you..._

You hoped he hadn't already went to bed. You were looking forward to writing back to him all day.

Your hopes were kept when words began writing themselves into the journal to reply.

 _No worries_ , he wrote, _How was your day?_

You smiled and took a moment to think before writing back. _It was interesting. My daughter got in trouble and I was late for work, as I thought I would be. But someone offered to help out._

_Is that so? I offered a mother my aid today as well. Could that have been you?_

You bit your lip at that. It sounded familiar. It would be a no-brainer if you knew your soulmate's name.

Whenever you wrote names in the journal, the book turned it into gibberish. Soulmates wouldn't know each other's names unless they met up.

So it could have been him.

_I don't know, maybe. It would be some coincidence..._

You waited for a reply and it only took another moment for it.

_Yes, it would. I look forward to eventually meeting you, dear._

_I do, too. Even if it was you._

You smiled and sighed as you replied reluctantly, _I should get to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning?_

_Of course. Get your rest. Goodnight._

_Night._

____

Your alarm woke you the next morning. You opened your eyes and yawned, stretching your limbs. You got out of the bed slowly, dragging yourself to Maya's room.

You gently woke her, "Hey, Maya. Time to get up." She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She groaned and laid back down, getting ready to go back to sleep. You rolled your eyes and woke her again, "Come on. You're going to Hope's again."

She took a moment to process that and then was out of bed in no time. You set her clothes out and told her to get dressed and ready. She flashed you a bright smile and a smile spread across your own lips.

You got back to your room and continued getting ready. You picked up your book to write to your soulmate before it was time to leave.

_Hey. Good morning._

You headed downstairs with your book in hand. He wrote back:

_Good morning. How did you sleep?_

_Good, actually. I slept well._

You threw a bit of breakfast together, whatever there was, and made a mental note to go to the store.

But with what money?

_That's wonderful. I'm glad._

_How about you?_

_You know me._

_Ha, that's right._

Maya came down for breakfast. She ate quickly and you grabbed the few things you still needed.

_I've got to go. We'll talk later?_

_Of course. Have a nice day._

_Bye._

When she was ready, you loaded her into the car and to Elijah's place.

She begged you to turn on the radio and you obliged, only because she knew how to annoy you to get what she wanted.

You knocked on the door and it was answered by someone who was not Elijah.

Maya waved gleefully. "Uh, hi," you said, "Um, I'm looking for Elijah? He agreed to watch my kid for me..."

The man narrowed his eyes, "I'm his brother, Klaus."

Maya pulled on your sleeve and whispered, "This is Hope's daddy."

You nodded and bit your lip, "Uh, if he isn't here, I can just go."

"Y/N, lovely to see you," Elijah's voice came. He went to the door, moving his brother out of the way so he could stand before you.

"Forgive me. I meant to answer the door for you but it seems my brother got to it first. Come in," he said kindly.

"Thanks," you walked in with Maya shyly. When Maya saw Hope in the room, she ran over, "Hope!"

"Maya!" She exclaimed, hugging her friend. Klaus raised an amused brow. Hope spoke to Klaus, "This is Maya. She's my friend."

Maya smiled and added, "We beat up a girl at school."

Klaus smirked, furthering his amusement. "Well, then," he said, walking over to the children.

Elijah went to you, "Forgive me."

You chuckled lightly, "Uh- forgiven. Thanks again for watching Maya for me. This means a lot." You looked at your watch, "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

He waved and you left, getting to work with ten minutes to spare. You walked in the front door and your boss seemed impressed. He told you, "Early today, huh? Acceptable."

You let out a sigh, half relieved, half annoyed. You went to clock in and you saw someone else getting ready to clock out.

You stood to the side as you waited for him to move out of the way. He smiled at you, "Hey."

You waved shyly, "Hi."

He moved out of the way and allowed you to clock in. You felt his eyes on you and blushed, his gaze never turned from your figure.

"How long have you worked here?" He asked.

You shrugged, "Uh, two years."

"S'that so? Never seen you around," he told you, quirking a brow.

You shrugged, "Eh, well, you have the night shift. I don't."

He shrugged, "Well, maybe when you're off we can finally be acquainted."

A strange feeling rose in your chest and you shrugged, "Uh, why not?"

He flashed you a smile and you smiled back shyly. "I'm Jake." He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket, like he just kept it there in case he wanted to ask someone out.

He handed it to you and it read his number. "Y/N," you told him, still glancing at the paper. He winked at you, "Well, see you then."

He left and you nodded, "Okay..."

You sighed and got to work.

____

The next couple of days went by smoothly. Elijah was so helpful and you thanked him so much that he told you not to anymore. He was so kind and it made you smile.

You felt a little guilty though. It was true, Elijah could actually be your soulmate. Some of the clues added up, but you couldn't be sure.

You could easily be spending a ton of time with a man who wasn't your soulmate. You could easily be, in a way, cheating on him.

Like when you got with Maya's father in high school.

And now with Jake.

You talked with your soulmate a lot. He was extremely supportive and was glad you were actually putting in the effort to get out there and find someone. He was glad you were trying to find someone to help lift some of the weight off your shoulders.

Even if it wasn't him.

When your date with Jake came by, you were nervous. He seemed...not so great, but you desperately needed someone and you'd take a chance on him.

He could do better during the date, right?

When you told Elijah about it, he seemed hesitant at first but encouraged you to get out there. He was turning out to be a great friend.

But something knawed at you, trying to tell you that wouldn't be the right word.

On your date night, Elijah was watching Maya at your place instead of his own. You got dressed and stepped in front of your mirror to see how you looked.

You smiled. You hadn't gotten dressed up for a date in a while, you were so busy with Maya and work that you never had time for a relationship. Now with Elijah in your life to help out, things were getting easier.

He was such a great man.

You bit your lip and smoothed your hands over your dressed. You picked up your journal.

_My date's soon. I'm nervous, he was a little iffy the first time._

There was no reply for a moment and you got scared. Maybe he changed his mind and he wasn't so thrilled about your date? Maybe he decided that he didn't want you to go on it...

Those thoughts were rushed away when his writing came through again.

_I'm sure it will be fine. You can tell me all about it after. Go on and get ready. I'll talk later._

There was a knock on the door and Maya rushed to it, peaking out the window next to it. You set your journal on your nightstand and headed down the hall.

"It's Elijah!" She exclaimed, rushing over to answer the door.

"Maya!" You exclaimed.

She threw the door open and smiled at him. You were still headed to the door. "Maya, you're not supposed to answer the door."

She giggled, "Hi, Elijah!" She held her hands out for him, stepping outside, and he picked her up, "Hello, Maya. How have you been?"

She smiled, "Good."

When you saw Elijah with Maya resting on his hip, you stopped. There was something about that sight that made you feel...something.

You smiled and got to the door. Elijah looked up at you and stopped in his tracks, "Y/N..." You bit your lip nervously, waiting for his answer. He told you, "You look amazing."

You smiled, "Thanks. You think he'll like it?"

He nodded, "Yes, I don't see why not. You look beautiful."

You smiled and blushed slightly, "Thank you." When you noticed he was still outside, you stepped aside, "Would you like to come in?"

He smiled, "I would love to."

He stepped one foot through the threshold, followed by his second with a smile. You looked at your watch to see the time. Jake would be picking you up in a few minutes.

You spoke, "Okay, bathroom's down the hall on the right. There's dinner in the fridge. Um, Maya goes to bed at eight so she needs to be ready before then. If you need me, you have my number. Don't be afraid to call, I come right over-"

"Y/N," Elijah spoke up, "Don't worry. I've got her. Go have fun."

You smiled, "Thanks again, Elijah. Really."

"Stop thanking me. It's my pleasure," he told you, a smile on his face.

There was another knock on the door and you saw Jake standing there. He glanced at Elijah and Maya, a silent explanation in his eyes.

"Oh, this is Elijah. He's watching my kid while I'm gone. Come on in," you said.

"You didn't say you had a kid," Jake spoke, raising a brow as he stepped inside.

"You never asked," you replied. You sighed and kissed Maya on the cheek. "Bye, honey. Be good."

She waved and you left with Jake. Elijah sighed as you drove away with Jake.

He turned to Maya, "So, what do you want to do?"

She thought for a moment. There wasn't much but she could definitely make something up. "Um... We could play hide and seek?"

He smiled, "Well, then. I must warn you, I'm an excellent seeker."

"You are? Mama's really bad at being seeker," she giggled.

He set her on her feet and bent down to her level, "Well, I'm amazing at it. I can hear your little heartbeat and the pitter-patter of your feet when you go to hide. So you better be quiet as a mouse."

She looked intrigued by his words and giggled. Elijah smiled and closed his eyes, counting with no warning, "One...two...three..."

Maya giggled and ran away to find a good hiding spot. She was going to win this game one way or another.


	4. 3

You really should have just stayed in with your daughter, writing to your soulmate.

Here you were on a "date" with Jake, if you could even call it that. It's like learning of you having a child swayed him from wanting anything to do with you.

Now you were sitting at the bar he took you to, twirling a drink in your little area while he hung out with the other girls in the bar.

You sighed and hoped Maya and Elijah were having a better time. She probably tricked him into playing Hide and Seek with her.

She scared the shit out of you once when you couldn't find her anywhere. She had found some way to hide in the dryer and had you searching up and down the street for her. When you got back to the house, red-rimmed eyes from crying, she came from her hiding place and surprised you.

You smiled at the memory, she made it up to you by attempting to make you breakfast in bed the next morning. You ate burnt toast and frozen sausage. You avoided the raw egg at all cost.

You let out a small chuckle and sighed. You told your soulmate all about it when you found her again. He was just as relieved as you were when he found out she was safe. You bit your lip and looked out behind you in the crowd to see where Jake was.

He was hanging out with three other girls on his arms, playing pool with another man at the bar. You had a feeling Jake wouldn't at least be taking you home. You would be taking the taxi then.

You paid for your drink with a smile at the bartender and left the bar, standing on the sidewalk waiting for a taxi.

When you got in one, you headed home finally. Pulling up to the house, you unlocked the door and walked in.

You were home early, so you didn't expect Maya to be in bed yet. But she was getting ready to if Elijah was as good as you thought.

You opened the door and they paused and turned to you. Elijah smiled at you, Maya on his back as he was headed down the hall.

You smiled at the sight and laughed lightly, "What are you two doing?" She closed the door behind her, walking over to them.

Maya giggled, "Elijah was taking me to my room! He was going to tell me a bedtime story before bed!"

You chuckled lightly, "Well, don't let me stop you."

"Tuck me in, too!" Maya exclaimed, holding a hand out for you. You smiled, "Okay. Let's go."

You switched her so you were holding her on your side. You carried her to her room and she crawled in bed, pulling the covers up over her and Elijah tucked her in.

"Tell me a new story," she requested.

You thought for a moment and turned to Elijah for suggestions. He decided to start, "Well, once there was a boy and a girl. They met in high school and liked each other very much, they were soulmates."

"Right," you nodded, "And he wrote her all of these poems and sang her songs just for her, and she loved him very much."

Elijah nodded, "He wanted to propose to her, he loved her so much that he wanted to be with her forever. So one night before they went to bed, he kneeled down on both knees and said: 'I know I am not wise, and I know that I may not be able to save the day. But look in my eyes and know I'll always be with you. Know that I will never run away'."

You smiled a little at the story, it was a little bit of a sad smile. Maya smiled at the things you were both able to come up with.

You continued, more fluent and confident in the story, "Years went by and they had a child, a little girl. She was funny and strange and they loved her very much."

"But sometimes, her dreams drove her wild and sometimes she couldn't get to sleep," Elijah said, "One night, she couldn't get to bed because her dreams were keeping her awake."

"So her mother came in and she kneeled down on both knees. Do you know what she said to the little girl?" You asked.

Maya shook her head. You smiled, "She said: 'I know I am not wise, and I know that I may not be able to save the day. But look in my eyes and know I'll always be with you. Know that I will never run away.' And then little girl was about to go to sleep because she knew that her parents would never, ever leave her."

"I like that story," she said with a smile and a yawn. Elijah smiled, "It's a good story."

She laid down in bed more and you kissed her forehead, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night, Mama. Night, Elijah," she said before dozing off sleepily. It usually wasn't this easy, it would take her hours to get to bed.

You and Elijah quietly left the room. You smiled at him, "Thanks for watching Maya for me."

He nodded, "It was my pleasure. She's sweet. Why are you back so early?"

You shrugged and sighed at the night you had, "Date wasn't that great. Jake's a dick."

You both made your way to the living room. Elijah told you, "I'm sorry you didn't have a good night, Y/N."

You shook your head, "Well, it ended really nicely. Maya seems to really like you. She used to put the babysitters through hell."

He laughed lightly and you smiled. You missed having someone around, someone who wasn't eight years old with hair that was impossible to manage.

"If you want to stay for a movie, I don't mind. I wasn't going to go to bed yet anyway," you asked politely. If you were being honest, you wanted to spend more time with Elijah. He had helped you out so much over the past week and he was such a good, reliable friend.

He smiled, "I'd love to."

You smiled and nodded awkwardly. You motioned to the TV before saying, "Great, uh, I'll make some popcorn."

He nodded and you went to the kitchen to do just that. You found yourself unable to stop smiling. You hadn't had an actual friend in so long. You ended up falling out because you never had time for them, so you quit making them and focused on work and your daughter. Your soulmate was always trying to urge you to make one.

Having one again was nice and made life a little easier.

Once the popcorn was popping, a door opened down the hall and Maya came into the kitchen eagerly. "Is that popcorn?" She asked.

You rolled your eyes, "Yes, and your supposed to be in bed."

"But it's popcorn," she pouted.

You sighed, "One movie. That's it. Then you go straight to bed."

She smiled and went into the living room, picking out that movie she'd seen a million times and jumping on the couch. Elijah chuckled at the little girl's antics and sat down on the couch with her.

You sighed and rolled your eyes, your smile returning. You got the popcorn bag and went to the living room, turning off the lights and sitting on the couch next to Elijah, pulling Maya into your lap.

You could have quoted the movie, you'd seen it so many times because Maya insisted you watch it every movie night. Halfway through the movie, though, you realized just how tired you had been.

Your head leaned on Elijah's shoulder and you fell asleep, too exhausted to keep them open. Maya, on the other hand, had fallen asleep way before you.

Elijah smiled wrapping and arm around the two of you. Seeing you sleeping so peacefully was quite a change from your usual mood, dead on your feet as you rushed to get things done.

He very carefully picked the both of you up, taking Maya to her room first, tucking her in and leaving quietly. He then took you to your room, laying you in bed and pulling the covers over you.

He smiled, his thumb stroking your cheek softly. He bent down and kissed your forehead, you shifted a little, smiling adorably.

He went to leave the room, but turned back to the bed when he saw a book on your nightstand, a journal. It was your soulmate journal.

He brushed his bottom lip with his thumb as he debated whether he should see if you were his soulmate or not.

But privacy was an important thing...

He brushed his hand over the cover and shook his head, turning away and leaving you to sleep. He left quickly and quietly, returning to his own home.

____

Elijah returned home, ready to turn in for the night after a little note to his soulmate. It didn't seem like that was going to happen as he let out a long sigh, his brother walking up behind him with a certain smirk on his face that made Elijah question his decision to live with his sibling.

"Well, well, well. Look who's finally back from Ms. Y/N's home," Klaus said, a tilt to his head, "Why, it's my big brother, Elijah. Did your night not go as you planned?"

Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head, abandoning his hopes of ending the night on the note he'd left it. "What are you talking about this time, Niklaus?"

"Well, I suspected since you're back so early - or back at all - your night didn't go so well," Klaus said, lifting a brow. Elijah sighed at his brother and fought the urge to roll his eyes, "Niklaus, I was over at Y/N's house watching her child because she was out on a date. She came home early and we watched a movie before putting Maya to bed. Nothing happened."

"Has my brother lost his touch, then?" Klaus teased, "Or is she immune to your charms?"

"I do not wish to court her, brother, I am simply doing her a favor as a friend, nothing more. After all, I still have a soulmate out there. So you can return those thoughts to where they came and drop this," Elijah told him, "She is a friend, not a toy."

Klaus shrugged, "Well, then. I'll take that as both." He started walking past Elijah and stopped next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "But if you want to woe her, you better do it soon. Life as a vampire does not slow for a human. Soulmate or not, you better act before she slips away..."

He pat his shoulder and then continued walking off, probably thinking of writing to his own soulmate. Elijah sighed and shook his head, looking over his shoulder for a moment to see Klaus walking away. He dusted off his suit and headed to his room to forget about Klaus's words lingering in his mind.

____

You woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. It was nice to be able to catch some sleep, you were in desperate need of it.

You opened your eyes, taking a look around your bedroom. Then you shot out of bed, how did you end up in bed?

You tried to retrace last night, trying to find out how you ended up here. Then you recalled a little movie night with Elijah and Maya. You'd fallen asleep on him...

You couldn't help the little bit of blush on your cheeks and you cleared your throat a little and checked the time.

That's when you realized just how exhausted you were when you looked at your watch and saw that it was almost one in the afternoon.

And you hadn't written to your soulmate yet...

You picked up the journal quickly and wrote.

_I overslept. I'm sorry. I'm up now._

You waited for his response, but there wasn't one. Is he asleep, too?

You rushed out of your room after another thought toward your journal to see where Maya was, surprised she had let you sleep this long. When you got into the living room, you were only more surprised to find Elijah in the room making cookies with Maya.

You blinked in the doorway. They both looked up at you, smiling. "Hi, Mama!"

Elijah spoke, "Forgive me, I came to drop off something Maya left at my place and she was the one who answered the door. I was going to leave but she dragged me inside and begged me to make cookies with her. I couldn't find it in me to say no."

You sighed and looked at the little girl smiling innocently at you, "Yeah, she has that effect on people..."

"Forgive me if I overstepped," he said.

You shook your head, "No, no. It's fine. I shouldn't have slept so long." She turned to Maya and said, "And you shouldn't've answered the door, little missy."

She fiddled with her fingers, using the cuteness she knew she had to get herself out of the situation. "I knew it was Elijah so I let him in because you guys are friends..."

You sighed and rolled your eyes at her puppy eyes. "Come on, little munchkin." Maya came running over to hug you, smiling.

You couldn't help your own smile as you hugged her back. When you let go of her and stood back up, your scratched your head and sighed.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

You nodded and replied, "Yeah, it just... My...soulmate hasn't responded yet. It's probably nothing."

Elijah narrowed his eyes slightly at that. Before he could question anything, however, your phone started ringing. You went to your room to grab it, rolling your eyes as Jake's name came on screen. "Hello?"

"Hey, where'd you go last night?"

"Well, I was kind of under the impression that you weren't very keen on hanging out, so I left. Seemed like you were having fun with the other ladies."

He sighed, less sorry, more annoyed, "My bad, I guess."

You picked at the paint on your dresser as you told him, "This isn't really going to work out. Sorry, Jake."

No, you weren't.

He spoke, "Your loss." He hung up the phone then and you rolled your eyes. You glanced at your journal and decided to check it.

_No worries. I'm glad you got some sleep._

You smiled at the reply and felt suddenly foolish for getting so worried. You put down the journal and joined Elijah and Maya in the kitchen to help them make the cookies.

They smiled when you joined, happy you decided to help. You all finished them up, affected by the Maya's enthusiasm. As you popped the cookies in the oven, there was a knock on the door and you looked up curiously.

You walked over to the door, opening it slowly. When you saw the person on the other side of the door, you stood there silently.

What the hell was going on? Why was he at your door and why now?

You stared at the man with the stupid grin on his face, lifting a brow as he watched you. You finally found your voice again as you shook your head and took a breath.

"Kyle?" You asked, shock lacing your tone.

His smirk widened and he greeted in the same way he used to, "Hey, babe."


	5. 4

"What the hell are you doing here?" You asked, your voice edging on angry.

He shrugged, "Came to say hi to you and the little guy. How are you?"

"The little _girl_ and I are fine. If you would like to go, that would be greatly appreciated," you said, beginning to get annoyed with the man already.

Elijah asked from the kitchen, "Is everything alright, Y/N?"

You looked back at him slowly and nodded, "Yeah... Everything's fine. He was just leaving."

Elijah washed his hands and dried them off with a towel. Kyle looked into the house, getting a glimpse of Elijah before you limited his view with the door.

"Who's that?" Kyle asked.

"None of your business. Now go before she sees you," you told him hurriedly.

And just as you said that, Maya came over to the door and hugged your leg. "Mama, who's this?" She asked, a little shy toward him.

You sighed and put a hand around her shoulder. Elijah came over, watching a safe distance away from the door.

Kyle smirked reluctantly and kneeled to Maya's level. Your mother instincts rose in you again and you pulled her away from his view slightly, standing a little in front of her to shield Maya from Kyle.

He spoke, "Relax, just going to talk to her."

"That's what bothers me, Kyle."

He scoffed and looked at the girl, who only hid behind you more. He waved, "Hey, what's your name?"

She looked up at you and you sighed, nodding hesitantly. She told him shyly, "Maya."

He chuckled lightly, "Well, I'm Kyle. I'm your dad."

She furrowed her brows at him confused, "No, you're not."

He nodded, "Yes, I am..."

You sighed again when she looked up at you to settle this. You bent down and Kyle stood again, you told her, "Maya, Kyle...is your dad..."

She looked up at him, a sort of disapproving look in her eyes as she looked him up and down. "How?" She asked, almost scowling at the man.

You told her, "Uh - I'll tell you when you're older."

She sighed and looked up at Kyle, who smiled at her again. She brought her hand to her mouth, chewing on the nails - which she only did when she was scared or worried.

Elijah popped up and picked Maya up with a smile, "Why don't we watch the cookies while your mother and this nice gentleman talk?"

Maya nodded, "Okay."

Elijah gave you a quick glance to show that he had you covered. You silently thanked him and closed the door behind you, ushering Kyle out. "What are you doing here?"

"As I said, want to get to know my daughter," he said, trying to seem innocent.

"Do you now? Why now? Why after all this time?" You questioned him suspiciously, you didn't trust him at all.

He shrugged, "It hasn't been that long has it? What is she, like four? Five?"

You pinched the bridge of your nose, tired of this conversation and ready for him to just leave and forget about you. "Kyle, I had her when we were 17. We're 26. Do the math."

He furrowed his brow, "Wow, nine years? Hm."

"What do you mean 'hm'? She's gone almost nine years without a father because you weren't ready to step up. Now you show up out of nowhere to 'get to know your daughter'? What kind of bullshit is that, Kyle?"

"I thought you said nine."

"She's almost nine. Her birthdays in a month and a half, which you would know if you hadn't abandoned me," you told him quickly.

He sighed and took your hand, it took everything you had not to yank it away from him. You were still pissed at him for how he left you high and dry when you found out you were pregnant. You had no one after that. Your parents disowned you and kicked you out of the house, your friend left you because they didn't want to be friends with the School Slut, and he took out and switched schools entirely so he didn't have to associate with you.

You were alone and were seriously considering getting rid of the child - put her up for adoption...or worse - so things would go back to some degree of normal. But then you had her and everything changed again. There was no way you were letting her go...

He spoke, "Look, I'm sorry for what happened. I was stupid and I shouldn't have left you like that. It was dumb, I just wasn't ready to be a father yet. But I'm ready now. I just want to make amends."

You thought over it, trying to decide what to tell him. He was still Maya's father, he had some right to her... But you were her mother, which meant you had more.

You sighed and finally spoke, "Alright, fine. I have work on Monday...you can pick her up from school and get to know her until I can come and get her. One wrong move and you're out, do you understand me?"

He nodded and smiled, "Loud and clear. Also, what's up with that guy?"

"Again," you told him, "None of your business."

____

So you went to work the next day after dropping Maya off with Elijah so he could take her to school for you - you were really grateful for the man. You worried about leaving Maya with Kyle all day, unsure of how trustworthy he actually was.

Your soulmate was hesitant, as well. He didn't like Kyle from the stories you'd told him and he didn't trust him either.

So you were especially surprised when you got to Kyle's place and found Maya playing with him. Kyle lifted his head at you and smiled, "Hey, Y/N. Maya and I were playing a game, wanna join?"

Maya smiled when she saw you and ran over, happy to see you. "Mama!" She hugged your legs and you smiled at her, bending down to hug her gently, "Hey, Maya. Are you having fun?"

She looked back at Kyle, narrowing her eyes and then turned back to you. She shrugged with one shoulder, "Eh." You smiled a little, especially when Kyle gave her a slightly betrayed look. Like he would be off the hook that easily, Maya didn't like anyone new within the first few months - which surprised you when she was so fond of Elijah so quickly.

"Ready to go home?" You asked. She nodded quickly, she was quite ready. You nodded and told her to get her backpack so you both could leave.

Kyle walked over and smiled cockily, "So, did I do a good job?"

You raised a brow and said, "Considering it took literally nothing but a 'hello' for Elijah to win her over and she's still looking you up and down like you're her next meal... I'd say you're still deep on that hook."

He sighed and said, "What does Elijah have that I don't?"

"A good suit, manners, the ability to take care of a child and not lose his mind. I honestly don't know how he hasn't given up by now. The list continues," you admitted.

Kyle rolled his eyes and Maya came running over, almost shoving Kyle out of the way. You asked her, "Do you want him to pick you up from school tomorrow, too?"

She looked at Kyle again, that same look a health inspector would give a dirty refrigerator. She slowly turned back to you and shrugged, "I guess."

"Or do you want Elijah to pick you up?" You asked, hoping she'd pick him instead. You still didn't really trust Kyle.

She smiled, "Yes! Can he, please?" Kyle rolled his eyes again, folding his arm this time. He muttered a small 'great' and you chuckled slightly, feeling strangely proud of yourself.

"Okay. Go wait in the car, I'll be right there," you kissed her forehead and she ran off to get in the car.

"So I can't have my daughter tomorrow?" Kyle asked, crossing his arms.

You didn't like those words in his mouth, "my daughter". It didn't feel natural.

You crossed your arms and shook your head, "If she wants to hang out with Elijah, I'll let her."

He sighed, "Am I really not allowed to see her?"

"You can see her, she just wants to be picked up by Elijah," you told him, "She likes Elijah. Doesn't trust you yet."

He sighed again and leaned on his door frame, looking back up at you. You had to fight against narrowing your eyes at him.

"Last time you looked at me like that, you got me pregnant," you told him folding your own arms. He smirked, "I can do it again..."

You shook your head, "No, thanks. I don't want another kid. Maya is enough."

He shrugged and sighed, "So...when can I have her over again?"

You thought over that question. You didn't trust that question much, but you would have to answer it anyway. You sighed and finally said, "You can...have her Saturday."

He smiled, "Yes. Thanks. See you then. By the way, how's the whole soulmate thing going for you?"

You glared at him, his question was unappreciated. "None of your business," you told him again.

He out his hands up in mock defense, "Just asking. I mean, doesn't seem like you found him yet."

You rolled your eyes and told him, "Goodbye, Kyle."

You turned to the car to leave. "Bye, babe!" He yelled after you.

"Don't call me that or I'll kick you so hard you won't be able to make any more kids," you told him as you walked away.

He chuckled and you got in the car. You told her with a forced smile, "You'll be able to hang out with him this weekend. How does that sound?"

She sighed, "Do I have to?"

"He wants to spend time with you. I'd rather have you to myself or have you hang out with Elijah, but it's better to let him take you this weekend than for him to pick you up after school when you don't want him to."

She sighed, "Okay."

You gave her a smile and ruffled her hair a bit, earning a giggle from her, before heading back home, "Besides, this means you get to have Elijah pick you up after school."

____

Elijah went back to picking up Maya and Hope after school until you came to pick her up, your boss was going easier on you since you were getting better at arriving at work, and your soulmate was all ears when you needed to vent.

The weekend rolled around and you dropped Maya off with Kyle. "I'll come by to pick her up today at six. If she needs anything, call me."

He nodded, "Gotcha. We'll have fun. Bye."

Maya hugged you before you left, you promised to get her ice cream when you came to pick her up and she was a little happier. You left her reluctantly with Kyle and headed back home.

You were at home for about an hour, still worrying over Kyle's abilities to take care of a kid to your soulmate. You talked for a good while, he took your mind off things. When Elijah called, you picked up the phone quickly after excusing yourself.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Y/N. How are you?"

"I'm...good. Maya's with Kyle, I'm just sitting at the house. What about you?" You responded.

"I was actually wondering if you wanted to do something while Maya was out. Maybe see a movie?"

You bit your lip as you considered that, "Uh, yeah. Sure, I'd love to. When?"

"There's one in less than an hour, if that works for you."

"Yeah, works fine. Uh, see you then."

"Okay, then. I'll pick you up in a few."

You smiled, "Sounds great."

He hung up the phone, leaving you standing in your house. You smiled and shook your head, biting your lip as you went to go get ready.

_I'll talk later. I'm about to head out._

_Of course. See you later._

He picked you up as he said he would, a smile on his face as he rolled into the driveway. You went out, locking the door behind you.

He got out of the car, opening your door for you as he let you inside. You thanked him and got in the car, watching as he made his way back to the driver's seat.

When he was in his seat again, he closed the door and said, "Alright. Shall we go?"

You nodded, smiling at him as you said, "Yes, we shall."


	6. 5

After the movie, you and Elijah passed some time walking through the park. It was a nice day out and you still had time to spare before you had to pick up Maya.

It was nice to be hanging out with someone for once. You missed actually having friends.

You laughed at something Elijah said, looking up at him with a smile. He smiled and slowly asked, "So how old were you when you had Maya?"

You kicked a rock in front of you as you walked. You knew this topic would pop up eventually, it wasn't a bad time to share either. Elijah picked up on your hesitance and said, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

You shook your head, "No, it's okay... I was 17, at the beginning of my eleventh grade year."

He nodded as he listened intently, walking beside you as you told the story. "It was my first time, actually, when I had her. I was on the pill, but I guess they don't ways work," you explained, fiddling with your hands.

"I came out about it to my parents when I found out. It didn't end well..." you trailed off on the last part.

Elijah asked gently, "What happened?"

You sighed, "They were definitely mad. Threw me out of the house and disowned me. I told Kyle and he disappeared, I found out he moved to another school the next week."

"You didn't have anyone to help you?" Elijah asked, surprised by that.

You shrugged, "My friends left me because I grew a reputation for myself at that godforsaken place, 'The School's Slut'. Charming, I know. I didn't have anywhere to stay, really. I ended up having to rent a motel for a while. I was able to get a job and an apartment after a while. The only person who was really there for me was my soulmate, even if it was only through words."

Elijah nodded as he looked away, looking down at his feet as he walked next to you. You sighed, "I was in a bad place, I just wanted things to go back to normal. For a while I debated whether I should just get rid of her, hopefully get back to my parents or something. My soulmate swayed me away from it and then I had her. I looked at her for the first time and...there was no way I could have given her up."

Elijah watched you, the look in your eyes as you remembered those times, remembered seeing Maya for the first time. He saw the tears beginning to well up in your eyes before you blinked them away.

You continued after clearing your throat, "Uh, I managed to graduate high school. I got a scholarship, surprisingly, so I managed to get into college. I only attended for two years, though, I didn't have the money or time to stay for four. I got another job and a better place and been like this ever since."

Elijah nodded. He was angry at the fact that you had to go through all of that, especially at such a young age. He was also impressed, however, that you were able to get through it as you had. The story was familiar, though. The clues were still pointing him in her direction.

You sighed, "And, well, here we are now." You looked back up at him, rubbing your hands on the seams of your jeans and smiling. He told you, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must have been hard, you're very strong for having gotten through it as well as you did."

You scoffed slightly, "Yeah, okay."

"I'm serious. Not many people are able to do what you did. It takes strength, and from what I've seen, you have a lot of that," he assured you.

You smiled, "Really?"

He nodded and you chuckled lightly, "And here I was thinking I was doing something wrong."

He shook his head, "You're a good mother, Y/N. And a good person, as well."

You thanked him and sighed, "Thank you for getting me out of the house. I really enjoyed myself. You've been really good to me these past couple of weeks. It's actually thanks to you that I still have a job. Thank you so much."

Elijah smiled and shook his head, "There's no need to thank me. I'm glad I could help you. I enjoy spending time with you and Maya."

You smiled and checked your watch, "It's about time I go and pick Maya up."

"I'll take you," he said, heading in the direction of his car with you at his side. You shook your head, "No, no, you've done enough already."

"I insist. I don't mind," Elijah told you, looking at you closely. You nodded, unable to turn him down. You found yourself doing that a lot lately.

He lead you to his car and you got in as he held the door open for you. He drove you to Kyle's house after you gave him the address.

You got out of the car and went up to the door, knocking on it a couple times. "Come on in," Kyle called.

You opened the door and peaked inside. Maya came running over, hugging you as she greeted, "Hi, Mama!"

You smiled and hugged her back, crouching down to do it better, "Hey, baby. How was your day with your dad?"

She shrugged, "Eh." You laughed, you loved her reactions to things. Kyle spoke from the kitchen, "Seriously?"

You stood up and asked her, "Have you played Hide and Seek with him yet?"

She scoffed a little and replied, "With him? Please, he's not there yet. Is he any good?"

You shrugged, "Not much. I only played it with him once. That's how you were made."

She gave you a surprised look, "Really? Hide and Seek?"

You replied after a moment of thought, "I'll...tell you when you're older."

She pouted and you quickly told her to go get her stuff. Kyle asked, "Did I do better this time?"

"If you haven't played Hide and Seek with her yet, then no," you told him, crossing your arms.

"When can I have her again?" He asked.

You rolled your eyes and sighed. You really didn't like leaving her with him, no matter who he was. But it was good she actually had a father in her life, however, you didn't know if he fully qualified yet.

"You can have Saturdays, I guess," you told him, "But I'm keeping Sundays to myself."

"Good enough for me," he replied.

Maya came back into the room with her backpack on her back. She smiled up at you and you said, "Go ahead to the car. Elijah's there."

Her eyes lit up as soon as you said his name. She smiled and ran off to the car to see him. Kyle raised a brow, "Do you just bring him everywhere you go?"

You rolled your eyes, "Screw off, Kyle. If I want to bring Elijah, I can. It's really none of your business."

He shrugged, "I mean, you guys aren't together, I can see that much. If he was your soulmate, you would have said so. Why do you keep him around?"

You turned back to him, facing that judgmental look he was giving you. You scowled and told him, "Because Elijah is helping me and Maya. You left me to deal with a goddamn kid when I was still a kid! I love her but I was not ready for that. I had to raise her by myself and Elijah has come and helped me. When you can step up and actually put in the effort to be her father, then you can come talk to me about my business. Until then, it's really none of yours."

You turned around quickly, stopping for a moment as you spoke with your back turned to him, "I'm being nice by giving you these Saturdays. Don't make me regret it."

You stormed off then, moving your hair out of your face as you headed off back to the car. Elijah looked out of his window at you, concern written all over his face.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Elijah asked quickly as you got in the car.

Maya asked from the backseat in a small voice, "Mama?"

You sighed and shook your head, "Sorry. I'm okay, don't worry."

You gave a look to Elijah and he understood, sitting back in his seat and driving off. The car ride was quieter than it would have been. But it was also quite comfortable.

When you got to the house, you got out of the car and opened Maya's door. Elijah rolled down the window and called out after you as you began heading inside.

"Y/N," he said.

Maya kept walking to the house to get to the door, you turned around, brushing some of your hair behind your ear. "Yeah?" You asked.

Elijah told you gently, sincerely, "If you need anything, anything at all, I'm here."

You slowly and smiled, your expression softening as you replied, "Thanks, Elijah. That means a lot to me."

He nodded and smiled at you before bidding you farewell and leaving. You got in the house, fixing a quick dinner for Maya, and getting her ready for bed.

When she was tucked in and asleep, you got your own shower and got ready for bed yourself. You picked up your journal and sighed before writing in it.

_Hey, there. How was your day?_

The words on the other end began writing in the book for his reply.

_My day went well. How about you?_

_It was nice. I hung out with a friend today, it's nice to have one._

_That's great. I'm glad you have someone to spend time with. When we finally meet, we can spend more time together, as well._

You smiled and bit your lip, brushing your thumb over it. You caught yourself in the middle of the act, recognizing it as one of Elijah's tendencies. You blushed slightly but chased it away with a reply.

_I look forward to it._

_You should get some rest. I'll talk more with you in the morning, okay?_

You sighed and began to write a simple 'okay' back, but you honestly just wanted to talk to him tonight.

You bit your lip before replying:

_Can we talk a little longer? I really want to talk to you..._

_If that's what makes you happy, then yes. What do you want to talk about, my dear?_

You smiled. _Anything._

You and your soulmate talked for hours that night. You weren't paying attention to the time. You hadn't fallen asleep until around three o'clock at night.

He realized this when you hadn't finished a sentence, your reply ending halfway through. He wrote in the journal back to you.

_Goodnight, dearest._

____

The next week, Kyle took Maya to the park. She had asked so much he finally decided to give in and take her. He didn't exactly know why she wanted to go so bad, all he knew was that she was only going to keep asking if he didn't take her.

He didn't want to listen to that.

"Just make it quick. I've got to drop you back off with your mom in less than an hour," Kyle told her, checking his watch and then looking back at her.

She looked around frantically in search of something, or someone. She smiled when she saw her targets hanging out on the playground.

She pointed over to them and exclaimed, "There they are! Some of my friends are playing over there!"

Maya ran over to them, smiling wide as she went to go play on the playground with them. They were talking at school about going to the park that weekend and they told Maya in case she was able to come. She knew enough persuasion would get Kyle to take her to the park. She was really good at persuading people.

____

"Please, can we go to the park! Please, please, please! I'll be extra good and I'll come willingly next week! You won't have to beg me! Can we please go to the park, please!"

Kyle groaned loudly, uncovering his ears as he exclaimed, "Ugh, fine! We can go to the park if you just shut up!"

A little harsh, but it didn't phase Maya. "Yay!"


	7. 6

While Kyle sat on the end of the bench with a couple of the other parents, he stared at his phone to keep himself occupied.

A woman passed by the bench he sat on, leaning over his shoulder. "You got a kid here? Be kind of strange if you didn't," she asked.

Kyle glanced up at the woman, looking back up at her with a quirked brow, "Yeah, the one with the crazy hair. What about you, hotness?"

She shook her head, "No, I was just passing through when I saw a hot dad." She smirked at him and he hummed, "Is that so?"

He put his phone away and told her, "Well, we could see if we could change the no child thing. Just you, me, and a room."

She chuckled airily and said, "Don't want a kid, but I wouldn't mind trying... What about yours?"

He glanced over at Maya playing with her friends and said, "She's with her friends, I'm sure they'll drop her off when they're finished playing. Why don't you and I go and play together now?"

The woman smirked, "Don't mind if I do."

Kyle stood and went with the woman, walking away from the park as he took her back to his place to "play".

____

You looked at your watch, stressing out as you wondered where Maya and Kyle were. He was supposed to be dropping her off today, they were supposed to be here by now, it was just passed six.

She shook her head and took a breather, "It's fine. Maybe they're just running a little late. I'll just call Kyle and he'll say that he's on his way."

You nodded in strained approval at that plan, picking up your phone to call Kyle. The phone rang several times before he finally picked up, "Hello?" There was a chuckle in his voice as he answered.

"Kyle, where are you?" You asked, worry evident in your voice. There was hesitance on his end before he replied, "Oh, is that the time? Uh, I'll just head over now with Maya. Just...give me a sec."

He hung up the phone and you were in full panic mode. He didn't have Maya. If he did, she would have pitched in the background with a greeting.

Your breath sped as you full on hyperventilated. You had to find her. Where on earth would she be?

You called Kyle back and he answered, "Just let me get there, ha."

"Where the hell is my child?!" You exclaimed, fanning your hand out beside you to give it something to do.

"Okay, we went to the park earlier. She was playing with her r friends, I assumed they had her covered."

"You left her at the goddamn park alone?!" You screamed.

"She was with her friends! Not alone!" He tried.

You shook your head as you answered, "Kyle, her friends are eight years old and can't drive! How do you even know she's still with them?"

You took a breath and said, "I'm going to go get her. I swear, Kyle, she better be there or it will be your heart on a silver platter."

You hung up the phone and snatched your keys off the counter, charging out of your house with your phone in your pocket.

You got in your car and went as fast as you could possibly manage without getting pulled over. You arrived at the park in no time, calling out as you got to the playground she usually played at.

"Maya?" You called, running hand through your hair as you frantically searched the abandoned playground. "Maya, come out honey," you tried, searching all over to see if you could find her.

You freaked out, tears coming to your eyes as you wiped them away. Your voice wavered as you tried and failed to keep it as steady as possible. "Maya!"

You got your phone, pulling it out of your pocket and searching for Elijah's contact. The phone rang only twice before he picked it up.

"Hello, Y/N," he greeted calmly.

You sucked in a breath before speaking, "Elijah, Maya's missing."

He was immediately worried after those words, his tone not as calm as before as he asked, "What? What happened?"

You tried to calm your breathing to speak, but your words were no less breathless and unsteady as before, "Maya was with Kyle today and he took her to the park to play with her friends on the playground and he left her here under the impression that the other parents would watch her. Elijah, I don't know where she is."

He spoke again, his voice calming so he could work to try and calm you, "Hey, we'll find her. Okay, breathe. Take a deep breath and calm down. You won't be able to find her if you're not calm."

You followed his instructions, copying his breaths over the phone. In and out, in and out.

"I'm coming over to help you search. I'll be there soon," he said, "Stay calm. We'll find her."

You nodded and he said a quick goodbye before hanging up to get in the car. You stayed at the playground in hopes that she'd show up, though the odds are low.

You got in our car and thought, practicing the breaths. You laid your head on the steering wheel, trying your damnest to breathe through your panic.

But as you couldn't help but worry over not finding her, you couldn't keep it together. You didn't know where she was or if she's okay, she could be scared or lost or worse... You didn't want to think about worse.

You couldn't help the flood gates as the tears washed over you, spilling from your eyes and dripping onto the wheel and streaking down your face.

You tried so hard to wipe the tears away, by hey wouldn't stop pouring. You sucked in a breath and got out of the car, trying again to search the playground area for any sign of her. As a few people walked by, you asked if they'd seen her, met with the disappointing 'no's of the people you asked.

You called out a few times as well, eagerly trying to find your daughter before she wound up hurt. You were looking for another fifteen minutes before finally getting back in your car to cry some more.

You couldn't bear the thought of losing her, not after everything you been through for and with her. She was your life and you couldn't lose her.

A few minutes in, you looked up and out of your window, looking at nothing at first. When your eyes caught sight of something in the dark, you squinted to try and see better.

There were a figure in the dark, a man with a strange form. The man held his hand up in the air, signaling to you. As he got closer, you started to make out his features. You opened your door and rushed over quickly.

Elijah was walking over with Maya sleeping in his arms.

"Maya!" You exclaimed, your arms open for her as you ran over. Elijah adjusted her so that you could take her. She stirred as she woke, turning to see you. Her face lit up and she held her arms out for you, "Mama!"

You grabbed her and hugged her tightly to you, holding her as you supported her weight in your arms. "Maya, honey, are you alright?" You asked, worried and still in panic mode, thought relief washed over you at having her again.

"I'm okay," she replied, her arms wrapping tightly around you. She was definitely scared.

You walked over to the car, setting her in her usual back seat. "Let's get you home," you told her gently, getting her buckled in. You brushed your thumb across her cheek, savoring the moment of relief at having her back.

You closed her door and turned around, sucking in a large breath and letting it out sparingly. You wiped at your tears, looking up at Elijah through red-rimmed eyes.

You told him desperately, "Thank you so much, Elijah."

He spoke you gently, looking back at her through the window as if checking to make sure she was still there, "I found her hiding behind one of the benches. She must have wandered off to see if she could find you or Kyle." He said his name with a hint of distaste, or maybe it was hatred or disgust, in his voice.

You were going to get a hold of yourself, but that option was thrown out of the window as you threw your arms around him, pulling yourself into a hug with him.

You sighed softly, letting some of your fresh tears streak down your face. Elijah was surprised at first, but he was quick to return the hug, wrapping his strong arms around you in a much needed hug.

"I don't know what I would have done with you," you told him gently, unable to keep a filter around him.

He settled into the hug even more, somehow pulling you closer to reassure you that everything was fine. "Don't worry, she's back and safe. Everything's okay now."

You nodded and savored the hug a little while longer, finding comfort in Elijah, before pulling away. You chuckled lightly as you said, "Sorry, I got tears on your suit."

He shook his head, glancing at the dark, wet spots on his suit. "No worries, it's nothing," he told you. He brought his hand to your cheek, gently wiping away the tears from your face.

You subconsciously leaned into his hand, closing your eyes and letting out a soft hum of contentment. You hadn't realized yet, but Elijah had and it brought a smile to his face.

You opened your eyes again and quickly adjusted yourself, clearing your throat and straightening out your clothes. Elijah cleared his throat, dusting off invisible lint from his suit, "Let's get you and Maya back home."

You nodded and turned to your car. Elijah opened the door and allowed you to step inside. He would have driven you himself, but his car was parked close and he didn't want to leave it. Granted, he didn't want to have you drive by yourself, but he was going to drive closely behind you to make sure you stayed okay.

You started the engine and he left to get his car. When you saw the familiar vehicle driving up, you started on your way home. You often glanced back and forth between Maya in the back seat already asleep knowing she was safe with you.

You owed Elijah so much. He was such a big help to you and your life.

You got home in a short span of time, getting inside and laying Maya in her bed to sleep. You tucked her in the bed and slowly crept out of the room, shutting the door silently and sighing when you were out in the hall.

Elijah watched you closely as you unwound from your stressful hour. He could see that you were dead on your feet, swaying very slightly. Your eyes closed and you opened them quickly, standing up straighter.

You turned to Elijah and cleared your throat, walking back down the hall with him. You spoke quietly, "I don't know how I could ever repay you, Elijah."

He chuckled lightly before telling you, "Y/N, you can repay me by getting some sleep. You're exhausted from worrying over Maya. Get some sleep."

You nodded, "Seems fair." You headed back over to your room, quickly changing out of your day clothes while Elijah waited outside the room until you were ready.

When you opened the door again, he stepped inside and you made your way to the bed. You sat down, sighing as you already started to relax against the mattress.

You lied down, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath as you calmed. Elijah smiled at that, kneeling down beside the bed.

You pulled the covers over you and he helped, pulling them up and over your shoulder, your face settled half-under and half-over them.

He smiled and told you, "Goodnight, Y/N. I'll see you tomorrow." You thought for a moment as he stood to leave. You mouth spoke quicker than your mind as you asked, "Can you stay with me?"

He turned back to you. You added as an afterthought, "At least until I fall asleep..."

He smiled sweetly, already walking back over, "Of course. If that's what you want."

You softly smiled, muttering, "It is."

He removed his shoes and suit jacket and you made room for him in your small bed, scooting over so he had a place to lie down. He climbed in the bed next to you.

You settled in calmly, sighing contently as you lay next to him. Elijah let out a light chuckle and pulled your body over, now wrapped in his embrace as he held you close.

You were surprised by the move, but found it highly relaxing. Your eyes fluttering shut and you settled closer, your head laying on his chest and your arms bunching up into your chest as you cuddled closer.

Elijah pet your hair, further calming you. He kissed your hairline and whispered you gently, knowing you were half-asleep. When you woke up, you would probably just think you dreamed his next words, "Goodnight, my dear. I love you."

And you fell into a peaceful slumber with those words branded in your dream-like state, left for you to question the actual existence of when you woke.

For now, you were in peace.


	8. 7

You awoke in the morning, your eyelids heavy and your mind clouded with sleep. You squirmed in the bed, grabbing the spot next to you. All you know was that there was a warm presence in the bed that you were searching for. You mumbled when you didn't find that warmth you were searching for, pulling the covers over you more. You finally gave up and opened your eyes, ready to start looking for it.

What were you looking for exactly?

You sifted through your head, trying to remember what happened last night. That's when you remembered falling asleep with Elijah cuddled up next to you in bed. You blushed and smiled a little.

Your smile, however, fell when you didn't see Elijah still next to you in the empty spot he was laying in. Maybe he decided to go back home when you fell asleep. It made sense, you did ask if he could stay until you were asleep.

You sighed and sat up in the bed, pulling the covers down to cover your lap and sitting up against the headboard of your bed. You looked over on your nightstand and reached for journal with a small smile. Your hands brushed the cover and a thought popped into your head.

Or maybe it was a memory. You weren't sure. You're mind was so hazy at the time, it could have been a dream or reality.

For some odd reason, you remember hearing someone tell you that they loved you. But who else would have been able to say that to you last night while you were in the bed.

Now you knew it was a dream. Elijah didn't love you, you'd be amazed if he did.

The only question on your mind now was why you would dream of Elijah telling you those words. You didn't have feelings for him, did you? You had only known him for roughly three weeks, you can't already have feelings for him, can you?

You shook your head of those uncertain thoughts and took breath, grabbing your pen and writing in the journal to greet your soulmate.

_Good morning. How was your night?_

You waited for a reply, looking around your room and listening to the quiet of the house. Well, mostly quiet. You were pretty sure Maya was in the kitchen getting a bowl of cereal. The small clattering stopped after a moment and you assumed she finally finished.

_It was well, how was yours? Did you sleep all right?_

_I did. Really well, actually. I'm sorry I didn't write last night. I was really tired. ?$%6 left %3 &= at the park by herself and I almost lost her. I was so tired when I got back I passed out. &5#]!4 was there, he was actually the one who found her._

You sighed as the names turned into gibberish after they were written in the journal. You sometimes forgot you couldn't write names. You fixed it so he would be able to understand better: _My ex left my daughter at the park by herself. My friend was the one who found her._

_I figured that's what you meant, my dear. No worries._

You paused at that, tilting your head in thought.

"My dear". You heard that somewhere else...

_'Goodnight, my dear. I love you.'_

That's what you heard before you went to bed last night. Or, it was what you dreamt. Maybe he could be...

Come on, be rational, Y/N. "My dear" isn't an uncommon phrase. Don't jump to conclusions based on things like this.

You shook your head and wrote back in the journal: _Ha, yeah..._

You sat in silence for a moment and sighed. There was something on your mind that you wanted to tell him. Why not tell him?

_Babe? Have I ever told you that_

You hesitated, your pen stopping as you debated whether you should do this or not. You were uncertain. You flipped through the book to previous saved conversations with your soulmate. You bit your lip and the book lit up slightly to announce the new message.

_What is it, my dear? You can tell me anything._

You held your breath as you continued writing: _Have I ever told you that I love you?_ There was a pause and you started to regret writing that. _Nevermind, it's nothing. Don't worry about it._

_No, it's okay. I don't think you have said that to me..._

You took a breath for bravery and wrote back: _Well, I do... I love you, baby._

You would have used his name, had you known it and could use it in the first place. But you didn't, so you would have to make due.

_And I love you, my dear._

You smiled, it was a dorky smile, but it was genuine. You chewed on your bottom lip and tilted your head, resting it on your shoulder. You took a moment to savor the words written in his elegant cursive. You sighed: _I'm going to go say hi to my daughter. I'll come back to you later on?_

_Of course, my dear. I'll talk with you later._

You got up from your bed, stretching your limbs, before you headed to the door, walking down the hall to go say hi to Maya while she ate the breakfast she made for herself. "Hey, Maya," you said as you rounded the corner.

You stopped short when you saw someone who wasn't Maya. "Oh, Elijah, I thought you left..." you trailed, looking down at your feet a little to hide your blush. You then remembered you were still in your pajamas: baggy shorts and a T-shirt.

You fidgeted, a little embarrassed with yourself. Elijah smiled at you, " I did not."

You smiled a little and replied, "Well, then...good morning."

"Good morning to you, too. You slept well, I trust?" He asked, making his way out of the kitchen to approach you. You nodded, "Yes, I did. Thanks. What about you?"

He smiled his own smile, it was a little dorky but it fit, "I also slept well." You both stood in the comfortable silence, looking at each other in some sort of trance neither of you were aware you were in.

Not until there was a knock on the door. Elijah looked over and went to answer it after another glance at you. He opened it and smiled at the stranger standing at the door. You looked over from where you were standing to see the exchange.

"Thank you," Elijah told the man. He grabbed his wallet from the table next to the door and paid him. "Thanks for the tip," the man said with a grateful smile before leaving, "Have a good day, sir!"

"You, too," Elijah replied, bending over to pick something up. You looked down to see what he was reaching for a were surprised when you saw bags of groceries. "What...?" You trailed off in thought.

Elijah had a few bags on his arms as he carried them inside to the kitchen, "I saw that your shelves were basically empty and took it upon myself to fix that. I hope you don't mind."

You shook your head and said, "No, I don't mind. Uh, thank you. Why did you do that, though?" You were confused as to why he would buy you groceries. It wasn't his house, why did he feel like he needed to do that for you?

He turned to you, "Well, you and Maya need food and I wanted to do something nice. You should be set for the next couple of weeks."

You blinked, still in shock from his charity, "Elijah, you didn't have to do that. Besides, you've been doing nice things for me and Maya since we met. While I appreciate it, I really do, I don't know why you do it..."

You walked over to the door to bring in some more of the bags, helping him stock the shelves. You weren't even close to done and the shelves already looked more full than you've ever seen them. Elijah turned to you, stopping his movements to give you his full attention, "Y/N, I enjoy doing nice things for you and your daughter. You've been through enough and I want to make sure things are easier for you. I don't mind helping you out and I'm glad you allow me to do it. Trust me when I say that I am not doing this for some personal gain, either. I'm just trying to help. You have my word."

You smiled at his kindness and generosity. He did so much for you and Maya and he hardly even knew you. "hank you, Elijah. I really appreciate this, I appreciate you for all that you've done for me and Maya," you told him genuinely. How lucky you were to have a man like Elijah.

But, alas, your smile was short-lived when you heard a voice come from the door, "What about me?"

You almost snarled at that voice, that annoying voice you wanted to forever silence. You turned to Kyle as he stood in your doorway with that stupid smirk on his face. "You," you said angrily, "What are you doing here?"

He put his hands up in mock defense, "Woah, I'm just trying to make sure everything's good."

You went to storm over to Kyle, every intention of smacking the living shit out of him. Elijah saw this and thought twice of it, quickly - but gently - grabbing your arm to hold you back. He could already tell that Kyle had a temper and he had his first hand experiences of what tempers could do, vampire or not.

Elijah would take him on himself if he needed to.

You growled from your spot next to Elijah, grateful he was there to supervise and make sure nothing got too out of hand, "It's a little late for that. And you wouldn't have to 'make sure everything's good' if you hadn't made them bad in the first place."

"What do you mean?" He asked, stepping over the bags in front of the door to get over to you. You almost snapped but Elijah's presence was able to keep you from doing so, "What do I mean? You left Maya at the park by herself. She got lost and scared, something bad could have happened."

"But nothing bad did happen, did it? We're all good," Kyle told you.

Remembering that gut-wrenching feeling from when you were scared to death of something happening to Maya last night brought tears to your eyes. You almost lost your daughter because of his stupid, reckless, selfish move and he didn't feel any type of remorse from it.

You wiped the tears from your eyes and Elijah stiffened, becoming visibly angry at the fact that Kyle had made you cry. He clenched his jaw and had to be careful not to clenched his fists or grab anything.

You stepped forward and Elijah allowed you to this time. You spoke to Kyle, "You aren't ready."

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked, cautious of the next words you chose. You shook your head and sniffed, getting rid of the tears to appear stronger than you felt.

"You aren't ready to be a father, yet, Kyle," you told him, shaking your head at him.

"And why do you think that?" You could see him starting to become angry with that. You didn't care. You knew you were right about this.

"You've made mistakes, a lot of them. I was willing to look past those because I wanted Maya to have a dad, I wanted her to have a father in her life so she didn't feel like there was something wrong with her when she got older and started to question why he wasn't there. But you aren't ready to be a father. Because when you left her alone at that park, when I was worrying over her, worry about something happening to her because she hadn't come home yet, and then learning that she was alone somewhere and she didn't know how to get home. That feeling it gave me, it terrified me."

He watched you, trying to get a grip on what you were trying to tell him, "That gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, if-anything-happens-to-my-child- I-think-I-will-die feeling that I had, that is what let me know I was a parent. It let me know I was a mother. The fact that you didn't have that feeling lets me know that you are not ready to be a father."

Elijah watched quietly, he wouldn't interfere unless he had to. He was here to support you, that's what he would do.

Kyle, on the other hand, seemed furious. His jaw and fists were clenched as he asked, "So what are you doing to do about it?"

You opened your mouth to speak - to tell him exactly what you were going to do - but the words didn't come out of your mouth. You sniffed and tried again successfully, taking a breath and saying, "I don't want you anywhere near my child without my permission. I would rather she grow up without a father at all than grow up with a crappy one who doesn't treat her right."

He took a step forward, and so did Elijah, now positioned somewhat behind you like a bodyguard. Kyle wasn't scared of Elijah, but there was something about that simple movement that persuaded him from doing anything rash. Kyle gulped and then turned back to you, "You can't do this. She's my kid, too."

You raised a brow, "If you want to take this to court for custody, be my guest. Just know that you don't have much chance in winning. Get the fuck out of mine and my daughter's life. Now."

Elijah eyed Kyle, the glare he gave him enough to make the grown-ass man shit his pants. Kyle clenched his fists and swiftly turned, leaving you and Elijah standing in the living room. He stormed off into his car, driving away swiftly in his anger.

Elijah was quick to console you, placing a hand on your shoulder. You could only take so much. You turned to him, breaking down in his arms. He wrapped them around you, pulling you close to him to allow you to sob into his chest.

"Shh," he bid you softly, "It's alright, you did the right thing."

You nodded, "I know. I just wish I didn't have to deal with things like this being the right thing." You sniffled, fresh tears staining your cheeks and his shirt as he consoled you.

"I know, my dear, I know," he whispered, stroking your hair and rubbing circles on your back to calm you. You would never be able to express just how grateful you were for Elijah. You told him in your unsteady voice, "Thank you for being here."

"Anything for you," he said, continuing to shush you in his work to calm you down.


	9. 8

The next week went by and you were surprised to hear nothing about Kyle. He hadn't popped back up at the house, or shown up at Maya's school, or your job. You hadn't seen him at all. It was like he was actually obeying your order...

Maya, however, was not in the slightest radio silent. She was constantly reminding you of her birthday coming up in the next week. After a while, it did start to get annoying. She'd wake up and the first thing she would say was the count until her birthday finally came. Even if it was annoying, you still found it nice that she was so excited for you.

One day after school, you were able to pick her up yourself. She was happy about that, you hadn't picked her up since Elijah started doing it for you. She got in the car with a smile on her face, but something was off. She was being quiet, just sitting in the backseat as she looked outside of the window.

"How was your day today?" You asked, trying to get her to say something before you lost your mind in the peculiar silence. She looked over at you and shrugged, "Good."

She didn't offer details, she didn't add anything, she only turned back to the window. You sat in the silence for a few more moments before asking, "What are you thinking about?"

She turned to you, chewing her nails as she thought of a way to say what she meant to. When she finally said it, though, you realized why she was being so strange about it, "Is Kyle coming over for my birthday?"

You sighed, avoiding tightening your grip on your steering wheel at all costs, "No, honey. He isn't."

She was relieved at that. She hadn't warmed up to him yet, and him leaving her at the park only made it worse. You asked, "Is that all?"

She acted a little awkwardly before adding, "Also...can Grandma and Grandpa come?"

Your breath stopped at that question next. You knew she would have asked eventually, you just wished it would have been in the next few years or something. She was so young, you didn't want to tell her yet.

You sighed and tapped your finger on the wheel, trying to sort out what you would say in your head before you said it. You finally managed a reluctant "we'll see", and she was pleased with your answer.

____

_What's wrong, my dear? You seem a little off. Is everything alright?_

You sighed: _My daughter wants to meet my parents. Her birthday's next week and she wants them to come._

_Do you think they'll come?_

_I wouldn't know. I haven't talked to them in years... The last time was probably before I had her. I don't know. I'm going to try and call anyway._

_I wish you luck._

_I'm going to need it._

You took a big breath for courage and grabbed your phone, dialing the home phone and hoping it still works. After a few rings, the phone was answered by your mother, Helen. "Hello? Who is this?"

You completely stopped. You hadn't heard that voice in so long. You were conflicted, you couldn't tell whether or not it was good to hear it again.

Considering the last words she'd ever said to you were "I didn't raise a little slut, you're no daughter of mine".

You realized you'd paused for too long when she spoke again, "Hello?"

Before she hung up, you finally spoke, "Oh, um. Hi, sorry."

" _Who is this_?" She asked. You were a little down about the fact that she didn't recognize your voice. You took another deep breath and said, "It's me...Y/N."

" _Goodbye_ ," she spoke quickly.

"No, please!" When the phone didn't hang up, you continued, "I'm sorry for calling. I shouldn't have."

" _No, you really shouldn't have._ "

"I know," you tried, "It's just...well Maya's birthday-"

" _Who's Maya_?" Helen asked, interrupting you again.

You gulped, "She's my daughter. Her birthday is in five days and...she wanted to meet you and Dad."

" _Then you really shouldn't have wasted your time. As we said when we threw you out, we don't want anything to do with you or the child_ ," she spoke rather harshly.

You sniffled, wiping the tears from your eyes before they could fall, "I know... I was just hoping you would give her a chance... She just wanted to meet you and... It's stupid. I'm sorry for calling."

" _Goodbye, Y/N_ ," she hung up then, leaving you on the other side of the phone. You stood there in the middle of your room, trying to gather your thoughts. You then threw the phone on your bed, your anger and sorrow creeping up on you as it suddenly overwhelmed you.

You put your back to the wall, sliding down until you were sitting on the floor. You put your head in your knees, brought up to your chest as you curled into a ball. Calling brought way too much back, you didn't know what you were thinking.

But for some odd reason, you had hope that the call would turn out better. Hope that you would, at the very least, get a kind decline.

You didn't know what you were thinking.

You couldn't control the tears as you sobbed there for a moment. Only a moment, however. For your phone began ringing. You stared at the caller ID as it buzzed from your bed, threatening to fall off and crack the screen on the floor.

You finally moved and grabbed it, answering, "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end and you wondered who was calling. "Hello?" You asked again, sniffling and wiping your nose.

" _Y/N_?" The voice finally said. You knew that voice, as well, it was your father's, Al.

"Dad?" You asked, even if you did know it was him. There was more silence before the sound of shoes coming in from another room came in the background of the call. Al finally spoke again, " _Don't call here again._ "

He hung up quickly and you tossed your phone back on the bed, burying your face in your knees. Charming conversation.

You journal flashed with a soft glow and you dragged yourself over to answer the message: _Did you call yet?_

You hesitated before answering. Two very short and very harsh calls and you were already ready to just sleep so you can forget about the world. But you answered anyway, your soulmate could make you feel better.

_Yeah._

_How did it go?_

_Somehow worse than I thought it would be. Mom picked up the first time and repeated the fact that she wanted nothing to do with me or my daughter. Dad called me the second time and then hung up after telling me not to call again._

_I am so sorry. You shouldn't have to go through this._

_It's not your fault. I shouldn't have called in the first place._

_Having hope isn't a crime._

_Maybe not, but it was stupid._

_Dearest..._

_It's okay._ You sighed, _I'm used to this. I'll go tell her about her grandparents and then... I don't know, take a nap or something._

It took a moment for him to respond, but he did with: _Okay. I love you very much, my dear._

_I love you._

You stared at the words for a moment before shutting the book, sighing before going to break the news gently to Maya. How you wanted to be able to tell her that they had accepted. You wanted to tell her that they cared about her and wanted to meet her just as much as she wanted to meet them. But you couldn't tell her that without lying.

You would tell her they wouldn't be able to make it, and leave it at that.

You told Elijah all about it the next day. His response was pretty much the same as your soulmate's. He was so upset with your parents for abandoning you and Maya like they did. What did it matter to you?

Your parents were serious when they told you those things the day you were thrown out of the house. You should not have even attempted.

You were used to spending holidays alone with Maya. For her birthday, you usually took her out to eat and perhaps to a movie. Then you'd get home and give her the birthday present you'd barely afforded.

It would probably end up being the same this year.

____

Elijah went home that evening, plans on his mind to lift your spirits about your awful parents. When he returned to the compound, he found Rebekah, Kol, and Klaus sitting in the common area, having a civilized conversation with a bottle of bourbon between them.

When the siblings caught sight of their older brother walking over, a kiss to Rebekah's forehead as he passed, they stopped him immediately. "Hang on, there," Rebekah said, "What's gotten into your mind, dear brother?"

He turned swiftly, one hand coming to rest in his pockets, "Simply thinking about something."

"And what may that something be? Would this be about the lovely Y/N?" Klaus implied, lifting his brows in curiosity. Rebekah and Kol had heard of her a couple of times and already made the classic soulmate accusation. While he dismissed her, she knew full and well that it was.

"Oh, pray tell," Kol smiled, just as mischievous as their Klaus. Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes, giving in to them, "Fine... Maya's birthday is coming soon. I want to do something for her and Y/N."

"And what may that be?" Klaus asked, deeply interested in the topic.

Elijah submitted to them completely as he pulled up a chair with a sigh and sat down at their table, pouring a glass for himself, "Maya wanted to meet her mother's parents for her birthday this year, but they refused to show. So, instead, I'm thinking of throwing them a surprise party."

Rebekah smiled a clapped her hands together, "That's a wonderful idea! I can finally meet my brother's soulmate, after so many years of thinking she wouldn't appear, here she is!"

Klaus nodded, "That would be a wonderful idea, Elijah. Naturally, we will help you plan."

"Can't throw a party in New Orleans without the Mikaelsons," Kol commented.

Elijah lifted a brow, "Might I reminder you, she's turning nine."

Kol shrugged, "It's still a party. Alcohol or not." He took a swig of his drink.

Elijah spoke quickly after another rolling of his eyes, "She doesn't know we're soulmates, yet. Don't tell her, I want to be the one to do it. She has so much on her plate right now, I want to to wait for the right time."

Rebekah spoke up cautiously, "Very well, but don't wait too long, Elijah. Not everyone has the time to."

Elijah took her words seriously, taking a sip from his cup as he decided to stay and chat with his siblings. It had been a while since they actually spent time together like this,

____

You opened Maya's door quietly, walking over to her bed and kneeling beside it. You gently woke her, seeing her opening her eyes and offering her a smile.

"Happy birthday, Maya," you told her, kissing her forehead. She sat up quickly, "Thank you, Mama."

She gave you a hug and you smiled, hugging her back, "You're welcome, honey. Where do you want to eat?"

Before she even took a moment to think about it, she offered the place you worked at, just like she did every year you started doing this.

You chuckled lightly, "You sure you want to go there?"

She nodded with a large smile, yawning a little. "Okay, then," you told her, "Get dressed and we'll go get breakfast."

She got dressed, just as you told her to, and you did the same. When you were both ready, you got her in the car and went off.

Breakfast with Maya was nice, she got the birthday pancakes just so she could point out that it was her birthday to one of the waitresses, who you sometimes worked with.

"Mama?"

"Yes, honey?" You looked up at her from your plate. She asked, "Is Elijah coming today?"

You shrugged, unsure of that one, "I don't know. I don't see why not."

She smiled and shrugged, "Okay!" She started picking at her food again and you asked, "You got another question?"

She nodded, "You sure Grandma and Grandpa can't come?"

You sighed and nodded, smiling sadly, "Yeah. I'm sorry, Maya. They just...couldn't make it."

She nodded and poked at her food, "Okay." She was silent for a moment as she thought, before adding, "Is it me? Do they not like me?"

You gave her a sad smile and stood up, making your way over to her side of the booth to scoot in next to her. "Honey," you started, "They've never met you. How could they not like you, even if they had?"

"Are you sure?"

You wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into your side comfortingly as you told her, "Maya, you are a smart, kind, loving girl who has no trouble making friends when she wants to. I don't see how someone with those traits could be unliked."

She smiled up at you and you smiled back, adding quickly, "I'm sure they'd love you if they came down to meet you."

You kissed her forehead and she thanked you for the reassurance, continuing to eat her food. "So what movie do you want to see today? Who knows, maybe we can see if Hope can play with you later."

She smiled, happy with that, "Yay!"


	10. 9

You got back to the house after breakfast, where Maya went to go play while you talked with your soulmate for a little bit.

_Hey, got back from breakfast._

He took a moment to respond, but he did, as always: _That's great. How was it?_

_It was nice. But she did ask me why my parents weren't coming. I really wish they would give her a chance. She deserves that. I feel like I messed it up for her._

_You didn't do anything wrong. Your parents haven't been the best to you, you can't blame that on yourself._

_Thanks. I guess I've just been feeling a little stressed lately. Between Kyle and Maya and work, I've been quite busy. It's good I have help now. I'm glad I've always had you. It's nice to know I have someone to come back to._

_You will have me always and forever, my dear._

_Always and forever?_ He'd never mentioned that before, it just stood out to you now.

_It's a vow I have with my family._

_What's it for?_

_It's a promise that we will always have each other, that we'll always stick together._

You smiled. _That's nice._

_And now I'm sharing it with you. I feel it's appropriate._

You smiled at the sentiment, you could tell by his words that the vow was very important to him. The fact that he was sharing it with you only made it that much more meaningful. _I love you_ , you wrote, always and forever.

_I love you, too. I have to go now, but I'll talk again with you later. Tell your daughter I said happy birthday for me?_

_I will. Bye, babe._

_Goodbye, dear._

You sighed contently, you wished he was here. You shut your journal and placed it back on its spot on your nightstand, walking back across the hall to see Maya.

"You wanna go see that movie now?" You asked her, leaning on her doorframe with a smile. She turned back to you and nodded happily. She was bored and wanted to do some thing fun.

"We can stop by the voodoo shop after the movie, as well," you suggested.

"Oh, can we?!" She exclaimed, she loved going there to get the crystals and dolls and things. She loved the idea of voodoo and already had a collection of items from the place.

She sometimes used the crystals or charms she could get her hands on to make bracelets and necklaces with you.

You smiled and nodded, "Of course, we can. I'm going to call Elijah and see if he wants to come along."

She agreed with that and retreated to her piggy bank to see just how much money she had from the lemonade and jewelry stand she had during the summer. She decided to do both since she made so many things with the charms.

Before you walked out of the room, you turned back to Maya, "Oh, guess who wished you a happy birthday?"

"Oo, was it Elijah?" She guessed.

You shook your head, "Not yet. The soulmate I talk about sometimes. He told me to tell you happy birthday."

She smiled, she liked your soulmate. He was nice. "Thank you!"

You nodded with a smile and went back to your room to grab your phone off of the charger. You called Elijah and the phone rang a few times before he picked up, "How are you, Y/N?"

"Hey, Elijah. I'm great, thanks for asking. I just called to ask if you wanted to go to the movies with Maya and I. Hope is more than welcome to come if she wants to," you told him hopefully.

He spoke on the other end, to someone else, "What do you say? Do you want to go?"

A little girl, who you naturally assumed was Hope, spoke on the other end, "Yes."

"That's a yes. We'll be there in a few minutes," he told you, "We can take my car."

You told him, "We don't have to."

"I insist."

"You know, you do that a lot."

"Forgive me, then."

You chuckled, "No need to, I'm not complaining."

"Then we'll take my car. We'll be there soon."

You sighed and gave in to him, agreeing to take his car and see him soon. You hung up the phone and got Maya and yourself ready.

____

Hope and Maya were still chattering about the movie when it was over. They had little bags of popcorn in their hands from not finishing yet.

You got to the car and opened the door for the girls in the back. They got in and Elijah already had your door opened for you. You smiled and thanked him, he closed both doors and got in the car next.

"So I take it you liked the movie," you said, turning to face the two girls in the back. They smiled at you and nodded, telling you just how great it was.

Elijah's phone buzzed in his pocket and he went to fish it out. He pulled out the phone and answered it, "Hello, brother."

The girls were silent in the back for Elijah and Hope seemed like she was paying close attention to Elijah. She had her eyes trained on the phone, almost as if she was looking past it.

Maya, on the other hand just fiddled with her fingers and played with her seat belt. You sat in your seat, hearing the light murmurs of the man on the other side.

"Of course," Elijah replied. Hope smiled a little from the back seat. You lifted a brow in confusion. Did she hear the conversation on the other end? She couldn't have.

"Goodbye." He hung up the phone and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to do before we return home?"

Maya took no time to think, she immediately exclaimed, "Voodoo shop!"

You expected nothing less. Elijah smiled and looked at you for consent, which you gave, "We go there a lot. I'm pretty sure it's her favorite place in New Orleans."

"Voodoo shop it is," Elijah said, "Any specific one?"

You gave him the name of the shop and he drove away, headed for the shop as Maya talked Hope up about it to get her excited for it. She exaggerated a few things, but she'd be able to make up for it by persuading Hope that it was the best place in all of New Orleans. She was quite persuasive for a nine-year-old.

____

As you left the shop, Elijah said, "I should drop Hope off. It's getting late and her father can be quite strict sometimes." He rolled his eyes at the last part and you chuckled, "Okay, fine by me. Are you staying over tonight?" You sounded a little too hopeful of that. Luckily, Maya saved you as she begged, "Can you? Please?!"

He laughed, "We'll see. Come on." She beamed and you all got in the car. The ride was smooth and easy, it was nice to be in a car with Elijah, it always was. As you pulled up to the compound, he opened the doors for everyone, being the gentleman he was, and helped you all out.

They got inside, the lights were dimmed and you couldn't see much. You squinted through the dark and were surprised when the lights suddenly turned on and a group of people were standing in the room. "Surprise!"

You and Maya jumped, both startled by the surprise. Except Maya was pleasantly surprised, you had almost jumped out of your skin. Elijah set a hand on your shoulder, steadying you as he saw just how startled you were. He chuckled lightly, a sympathetic of her fright, "Are you alright?"

You nodded, "Yeah, I just wasn't expecting thi-" You were cut off by a shrill scream of excitement from Maya and Hope. You didn't know why Hope was doing it to, she was probably in on this. It was probably just a "them" thing.

Maya turned to Elijah, a large smile on her face, "Thank you! I've always wanted a party!"

You felt a little bad then. You'd always wanted to give her a party, but you never had the money - or time - to do it. You looked at Elijah, thanking him with a smile. He smiled back at both of you, "It was no problem. Come meet my siblings."

"Your siblings?" You questioned quickly.

Elijah nodded, seemingly tired already as he let out a sigh. You set your hands on Maya's shoulders as Elijah started, "I'm sure you remember Niklaus."

He gave a smirk and held out his hand, "Hard to forget a face like this."

You laughed lightly and nodded, "I remember you." Elijah then directed your attention to his sisters, "This is my little sister, Rebekah, and my older sister, Freya."

They smiled pleasantly at you. Rebekah said, "It's finally nice to meet you. My brother talks about you all the time."

You turned to Elijah, "You do?"

He sighed and lifted a brow, directed toward Rebekah. She shrugged and kneeled down to Maya, "Hello, darling. You must be Maya!"

She nodded happily, "Yep. You're pretty."

Rebekah thanked her, returning the compliment. Freya smiled, "It's nice to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you, too," you responded. Maya pitched in, "You're pretty, too!"

Freya smiled more, "Why, thank you, little one." Maya giggled.

Elijah steered you both away to his siblings, "This is my little brother, Kol."

You held your hand out for him to shake, he took it with a smirk and kissed the back of it, "Wonderful to meet you. Elijah talks of you all the time."

You smiled and took your hand back awkwardly, "It's nice to meet you, too." You didn't see the warning glance Elijah flashed at Kol. He was just playing around, Kol wasn't actually going to try anything. He knew better than that.

"Now, I believe this is a party. Let's act like it," Kol said, throwing his hands up. Maya exclaimed and she and Hope went to do one of the activities laid out for them. They played close by while you and Elijah talked with his siblings. It might not have been a big party, but Maya was loving it. She was glad she wasn't spending her birthday a different way this year. She loved spending it with you, she was just happy to have a party.

Rebekah asked, "So how long exactly have you known Elijah?"

That sounded really close to a dating question, but you brushed it off. You had to think for a moment on that one, but Elijah saved and answered for you, "About six weeks."

The question after that let Elijah know that they were just going to keep teasing him and hinting at the whole "soulmate" situation between the two of you. "How did you two meet?" Freya asked.

He rolled his eyes, he'd hoped at least Freya would have his back. Apparently in the time she's been reunited with her family, she fit just perfectly in the art of being a Mikaelson. He sighed and prepared himself for a night of hanging out with his siblings.

At least it wouldn't break out into some sort of big supernatural fight between them. So there was that.

"At Maya's school when she and Hope were called the to principal's office for beating up a kid," you said, stating it a little too plainly. It honestly didn't surprise you much anymore. Maya wasn't one to hide the truth, so if she wanted to fight another kid, she definitely would if she had good reason. You could see the reason behind the stunt she pulled, but that doesn't mean she needed to do it.

But you will admit that some part of you is grateful. If she hadn't had that fight, you probably wouldn't have met Elijah.

The looks they gave were about the same as yours, unphased. It seemed like it was part of their norm, too. "So did they both fight the kid?"

Elijah nodded, "Yes. The girl insulted Y/N to Maya's face and Maya fought her for it. Hope joined in because they're friends."

"She is a Mikaelson!" Rebekah half-exclaimed.

"Believe me, that was never in question," Klaus spoke up, taking a drink from the cup he told the kids was just apple juice. You smiled, this family was really suiting you.

"So they both got called to the office," you continued, "And when I got there, Elijah, Hope, Cassandra, and her mother were sitting in the room. I was late because I was at work. Cassandra had a huge red mark on her face from getting slapped by Maya."

There were giggles from where the girls were playing. Everyone glanced at them with smiles of their own. Maya nodded, trying to push down her smirk but failing, "We beat up a kid." She and Hope snickered and you all laughed.

"Then they threatened Cassandra almost completely to her face about doing it again. I was trying not to laugh," Elijah said, containing both his laughter and sigh at that. You nodded, wiping your face, "They did. They were so proud of themselves. Then her mother called our kids delinquents and I went off on her."

"It was quite entertaining to watch, actually," Elijah pitched in, "I was just about to say something but she got to it first."

You nodded and sighed, covering your face with both hands as you admitted, "Then we got outside, she insulted Maya and myself...so I slapped and threatened her."

The siblings smiled at that. Klaus cheered, "Well done!" He lifted his glass and you all clinked it with his. You laughed lightly, "I regret nothing, to be honest. As Maya so wonderfully put it, 'Bitch had it coming'."

"Hey, you said I couldn't say that word!" Maya exclaimed.

"Still can't," you replied. Hope laughed and they went back to playing.

"She actually said that?" Rebekah asked. You nodded and sighed, "She did. She pulled the classic 'but her mom lets her say it'." You shook your head, "Kids..."

You all shared a laugh. The night went on smoothly and wonderfully. Maya enjoyed spending time with Hope and she actually got tons of presents from them, as well.

It was nice to spend time with a group of people. You seemed to fit well with Elijah and his siblings, he was so glad that they liked you and you like them. Not that it would have mattered. He would have loved you either way.


	11. 10

"It was wonderful to meet you, Y/N," Rebekah said as she hugged you. He then kneeled down to Maya, "And it was wonderful meeting you, too, little one."

She smiled and hugged Rebekah.

Hope came up and Maya turned around. She whispered something in Maya's ear and she giggled in reply. You tilted your head in confusion and Freya spoke, "Now, now, Hope."

She laughed and said, "Bye, Maya. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Hope," she said, giving a suspicious wink and turning back to you. You questioned, "What are you planning?"

"Nothing," she said in a sing-song voice. You chuckled and finished up your goodbyes for the night. Elijah took you home afterwards. Maya quickly fell asleep in the back seat after just a couple of minutes in the car.

You smiled and looked at Elijah. His eyes were trained on the road in front of him and he had a soft smile on his face. He occasionally looked over at you, looking for that smile on your face.

When he caught you looking at him, his smile grew as he looked back for a little longer and then turned back to the road.

You looked away and down to your lap, blushing lightly. "Uhm, thanks for doing that. Maya and I had a lot of fun. God, I don't even remember the last time I've actually hung out with people like that."

"I'm glad. I wanted to do something nice for you since your parents weren't coming," he explained.

You smiled more, "You're always so kind to us. It's nice to have someone who cares. It's been some time."

He asked quietly, "What of your soulmate?"

You nodded, "Yeah, he's always cared. He's always been there. It's just nice to have someone new." He nodded, understanding you well.

He set his hand over yours, looking at you meaningfully, "I just want to make sure you're happy."

"I know. I am happy," you reassured him, turning your hand to hold his back. Elijah smiled and squeezed it lightly. He pulled up to your house and hesitated before getting out of the car.

"Who is that?" He mumbled.

You looked out, your brows knitting together. You moved your hand from Elijah's as you grew more alarmed at the mysterious car parked in the front of your house.

"Stay in the car," Elijah said, opening his door.

"What are you doing?" You questioned, worry in your eyes as you looked up at him. He was quick to reassure you, "I'll be fine. Just watch Maya."

You sighed and nodded, allowing him to step out of the car. He closed the door and walked over to the other car.

You reached in the back and unbuckled Maya, moving her into your lap in the front seat. You felt better with her closer to you.

She stirred and looked at you, "Mom?"

You kissed her cheek, "Hey, honey. Elijah's just checking someone."

"Who's that?" She asked, looking at the car parked in front of the house.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," you responded. You both watched as Elijah came up beside the door, knocking on the window to get their attention.

He started speaking to the driver, then he stopped to listen. He glanced over at you, brushing his bottom lip with his thumb, and then looking back at them and saying something else.

He stood there and moment, hesitating as he worked out something in his head. He turned and walked back over to the car. You rolled down the window and he took a moment before speaking, "He's here for you."

You glanced at the car, "Who is he?"

He looked back over as well, licking his lips, "I really think you should see for yourself."

You looked up at Elijah, unsure of it. But you trusted him. He wouldn't do anything that could harm you.

You sighed and nodded. He opened your door, allowing you to step out. You helped Maya out first and then got out after. The man in the car opened his door and stood, turning to face you.

You put a grip on Maya to keep her closer, holding her hand tight. Elijah put a hand on your back and guided you over after another reassuring look at you.

"Y/N?" The man asked. You stopped then, staring at the man. He took another step forward, standing better in the light. You blinked, shocked and conflicted. Was he here for something? What's happening?

He chuckled lightly, a nervous chuckle. He was scared you hated him now. "Can I get a hug?"

You stepped forward, wrapping your arms around him eagerly. "Dad? You came."

Al smiled, hugging you back after a groan from the impact of your hug. You hadn't known if he wanted to hug you. You only did because he asked, telling you that it was okay.

"Is Mom here?" You asked.

He frowned and slowly pulled away, shaking his head, "No. I came here alone and secretly. So don't tell her." He laughed at that last part, also a nervous chuckle. Your mom was quite terrifying at times. Okay, all the time.

"Why did you come? I didn't think you wanted to. After the phone call..."

Al shook his head and sighed, "I had to stall. I called back and your mother was coming back into the room. I'm sorry."

You shook your head, "It's okay." Maya spoke from next to Elijah, who was holding her hand as she huddled close. "Mama?"

You turned to her again and went to her, bending down to stand next to her, "Hey, Maya. This is your grandfather. He came after all."

He smiled, "Hey, kid. Your name's Maya?"

She nodded shyly. He spoke again, "That's a really pretty name."

She smiled a little, "Thanks."

"Shall we go inside? We don't want to be out here too late," Elijah suggested.

You all agreed and went inside. Al took a step in the house, looking around as he examined the place. Or maybe "examined" was the wrong word. He just looked around.

"How long are you staying?" You asked, a hand over your daughter's shoulders. He shrugged, "Maybe a couple of days. I told her I had a business trip out of town."

You nodded, remembering how your dad's work sometimes took him out of town for a few days. You were half surprised he still worked at the same place.

Maya rubbed her eyes and you spoke, "That's nice because this one is tired and needs to go to bed."

You bent down and placed each hand on her shoulders, giving her a light smile and saying, "Come on before you pass out."

She nodded and you ushered her to her room, glancing back at Elijah. Al spoke, "So are you...did she find her soulmate yet?"

Elijah sighed and said, "Not yet." Technically you had met him, you just haven't realized it was him. You've been so busy lately that realizing these simple things wasn't on the top of your mind.

He nodded, standing there awkwardly, "Ah..."

You came back a few moments later, awkwardly scratching your brow. "Do you want a drink or something? I could fix something..."

Al shook his head, "No, I just...I wanted to talk."

You nodded and sighed, you all took a seat in the living room. Before you could tell Elijah that he didn't have to be here for it, he told you quickly that he was going to be here to support. It made you smile that he was so dedicated to you.

Al took a second to think about how to start out. He finally spoke, "I'm so, so sorry about the way we left things. At the time, yeah, I was mad. But I never wanted to throw you out, I didn't want to leave you like that."

"Why didn't you stop Mom?" You questioned lightly, you didn't want to push.

"If I could impact your mother's decisions, I would have. She's hard like a brick," he commented, "I wanted to reach out to you but she was breathing down my neck to make sure I didn't and I wasn't even sure if you would want to speak to me."

"I just wanted support," you said, keeping your voice as strong as possible. You didn't want to seem weak, "Any support would have helped."

"I know that now," he said, "And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I've tried to persuade Helen to change her mind, I've tried reaching out, but that woman is stubborn as a mule."

You commented, "Tell me about it."

He sighed, "I was shock by it but sending you away was never my intention. The day I left you was the worst day of my life. I lost a daughter."

You knew what he meant. You almost went through that when you lost Maya at the park. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, Y/N."

You smiled, "I forgive you, Dad. That's all I needed."

He hugged you and you smiled, quickly wiping at your tears before they fell. Elijah smiled at you, he was happy something was working out for you.

After a while, Elijah left you and your dad to talk under the excuse that it was time for him to get home. You were glad he stayed for the talk, it made you feel better.

You talked for a couple hours with him before he left to a hotel and you went to bed after a short recap with your soulmate. You would've let him sleep at the house but there was no guest bedroom and the couch wasn't comfy.

____

The next morning, you woke up happily. Despite your lack of sleep from being up so late, you actually felt more energized than you usually did.

You woke up, made a pot of coffee, and decided to just write to your soulmate for a while.

_Good morning, babe._

It only took a moment for a reply. _Good morning, how did you sleep?_

_I actually only slept a few hours, but I feel great._

_I'm glad to hear that. It's been a while since I'd gotten a greeting like that from you._

_It has, hasn't it?_

_I'm glad you're feeling better. It's what I want for you. How does your day look today?_

You shrugged to yourself, _Dad's coming by today so that he can properly meet my daughter. I think we may go bowling or something, he's really good and we haven't been in a while. She'll have fun._

_That sounds like fun. Is the little one up yet?_

You glanced down the hall. _Nope, not yet. She was up really late last night, she'll probably be asleep for another hour or two. She hates mornings, got it from me._

_So I've heard._

_How are things with you? I realize that we usually just talk about me and I want to hear about you._

_Things here are fine. Nothing big has happened lately, it's been calm._

_I'm glad. You usually end up having some huge family thing._

_I remember when you once thought we were some sort of cult._

_I was justified_ , you laughed. _It was good to know you weren't a cult. You just have tons of family drama. Guess it runs with both of us._

 _Haha, I suppose so._ He usually didn't write out "haha". He only ever did when he actually had a good laugh about something, so you smiled that you were able to achieve that again.

_What of the ex? Has he just disappeared?_

You sighed, _I've driven by his place a couple times. He's still there, he hasn't left... I guess he really did just leave us alone. He listened for once, who woulda thought?_

_That's good. I'm glad you're okay. It seems things are getting better for you._

_They are. It's nice._

_It is. All I want is for you to be happy, my dear._

You smiled, the words were so familiar, you knew exactly who else you heard them from. But you would rather not get into things like that and end up being wrong, it would be both humiliating and likely damaging to your relationship with Elijah. You'd rather be friends who might be soulmates than separated because you thought you were and were wrong.

So you simply wrote: _I know. That alone makes me happy. I love you._

_I love you, too, dear._


End file.
